The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-12-25

your country from it's neighbors as
much as possible; but. on the con
trary, to establish as much organic
connection with theri as is com
patible with their full and iree
activities in cleaning their own
doorsteps.
Independence is a fine shibboleth
for a slave; but the moment ne is
free he discovers that we are mem.
bers. one with another. and that
independence Is an egoceh'r'c
dream.
Britain Makes Faux Pas.
England calls herself independent
but why has she been afraid 10 let
Ireland go until she was ignomini'
ously forced to? Admittedly II Is
because she is so dependent on Ire
land. She has tried to plumber Ger
many only to find that she Is de-
pendent on Germany. she mas
helped to ruin Russia, only to flnd
her streets filled with millions OF
starving Englishmen clamoring TO
be allowed to work for RUSSIA IN
order to live.
Look at II from the Irish end. How
can ireland be Independent OF Eng
land? In war England would marcn
into Ireland with as little ceremony
as she marched Into Greece. Cut
off the AnRio-Irish-or II you prefer
II. the ro-English-trade. and both
parties will presently find out Dy
the slackness of their belts how de-
pendent they are on one another.
Why, the proposed evacuation OF
Ireland by the British army mas
already produced protests on the
ground that Ireland will lose tnlrty
million dollars yearly spent by these
open-ha nded warriors mainly In her
public houses.
The truth is that Ireland moe
pendent Is Ireland as conceived by
Arran villagers and by villagers on
the mainland who are just as insu-
lar They might Just as well live
in Juan Fernandez, which did once
have an Independent population
whose realm there was none to dis
pute.
Ireland May Be Predominant
Partner.
Ireland Is not like that and never
will be. 1t is. for its size, the center
of extraordinary activity-intellec-
tual and practical. 1t Is quite pos
sible that it may become a predomi-
nant partner in connection with
Britain. 1t is as certain as anything
human can be that 1t will never be
Independent of the European COM
plex.
Such independence is for savages,
not for perIcivilized communities
like the Irish. The English resist
civilization with a remarkable stub
bornness-they still confront 1t as
reluctant barbarians. But the Irish;
MOTHER danger lies the other way,
in a civilization carried to effete-
ness.
What Is the matter with Presi-
dent de Valera is that he Is subtle
to a point at which subtlety, face
to face with the cheerful barbarism
of Westminster, produces all the
effects of stupidity.
1t seemed clear when the negotia-
lions began that Mr.. de Valera
could not, without hauling down his
own flag, accept any proposal that
Lloyd George could conceivably
make, and that IL must be
accepted over his head by the Gen.
ter party.
Proposals Very Tempting.
The proposals were very tempt
ing. Only there was apparently no
Center party. Sir Horace Plunkett
made a desperate effort to invent
one and call it the dominion league.
But the Irish gentry beat him as
1t has beaten him in the convention.
The republican President stood
out and carried the country with
him. 1t was to have been deluged
in blood in consequence (but wasn't
as at present it will not bel. In.
stead Mr.. de Valera had the great
success Of exhorting a, new offer go
ing far beyond the former one.
So good 1t is. in fact, that the
Center party favor jumping at it
il develops this time In the republi-
can ranks; and Griffith and Collins
take up the position of Sir Horace
Plunkett and pass from the extreme
, right (extreme left from the Eng
lish point of view to the moderate
center. They are for acceptance
and Mr.. de Valera still holds
out.
The question is: Will he succeed
again in extorting a higher bid? 1t
is not quite impossible, for the form
of oath he proposes is obviously
very much better IL only as piece
of literature (ahd 1t has no other
| real value) than Mr.. Lloyd Georges
and these are several matters left
unsettled which might well be set.
tied now rather than be left to the
! fierce debate which will take place
when the act comes to be drafted
and discussed.
MIR. DE Valera has abandoned the
impossiblist position and will swal.
| low the throne and connection with