The New York herald., 1921-04-20
By the religious bodies which have now

| by the religious bodies which have now
addressed the Government.
II would therefore most earnestly
urge those who are responsible for guild
Ing the Christian conscience not to OBJ
scure the moral issue involved. l cor
daily sympathize with them In their
anxiety that the conduct OF the forces Of
the Crown should be above reproach and
welcome the pressure they put upon the
| Government TO secure that end. But
when they couple with this condona-
tlon of the policy of employing crime of
the most atrocious kind to serve the end
with which they sympathize they are
not only prolonging the strife in Ireland
but in my judgment, they are striking
at the very principles upon which the
life. liberties. prosperity and honor OF
civilized peoples depend.
"PoIicy OF the Government
II come now 70 the final point The
resolution pleads for the adoption of a
different line OF policy and especially
for truce with view to a deliberate
effort after an agreed solution. If i
thought that a different policy would
be likely to lead to q solution OF our
difficulties 1 should not hesitate to adopt
it, however different 10 were to that
which the Government is now pursuing.
",The present state of affairs Is due
to one cause and one cause only--that
there is stlll an irreconcilable difference
between the two sides. One side. or
rather the group that controls ~, STANDS
for an Independent Irish republic. The
other stands for maintenance in
fundamentals OF union together with
the most complete selrgovernment of
Ireland within the empire which Is
compatible with conceding to Ulster the
same rights of self-determination
within Ireland as Nationalist ireland
has claimed within the union
'.What really matters IL we are TO at
tain to peace Is that basis for a perma-
nent settlement should be reached.
fully admit, and always have admitted,
that the declared policy OF the Sim FEN
and the policy of his Majesty's Govern
ment are irreconcilable-
II believe the policy OF establishing an
irish republic is impossible, for two
reasons First, because 1t Is incompau-
BILE with the security OF Great Britain
and with the existence OF the British
Commonwealth; and, second, because IL
It were conceded 1t would mean civil
war in Ireland, for Ulster would GER
tainly resist incorporation into an Irish
republic by force. and in this war hun
dreds Of thousands of people not only OF
Great Britain but of all the world would
hasten to take part
"On the other hand believe the pol
icy of the Government of maintenance
in the fundamentals of the unity or the
Kingdom coupled with the immediate
establishment Of two Parliaments in Ire
land with full powers to unite upon
any terms upon which they can agree
themselves, is not only the sole practical
solution, but one which Is both just and
wise in itself.
Fundamentally the issue Is the same
as that in the war between the North
and the South in the United States.
AT the outbreak of the American
struggle nearly every one In these ISL
ands sympathized with the South. Even
Gladstone took this view and only John
Bright (he famous English statesman)
did not waver in his adherence to Lin
coins cause That war lasted four years
and cost million lives and much devas-
tation and ruin. There was more de-
struction of property In single Con-
tederate county than has been caused
by all the so-called reprisalS throughout
Ireland.
Lincoln rejected truce and COM
promise. as he often said he was lighting
for the Union and meant to save it, even
IL ne cOulu 90 so Oiiiy il liit pii1S VI -
tanning slavery in the South. Is there
q man or a woman to-day who does not
admit that the North was right and who
does not see the calamtous result which
would have followed the breaking up OF
the American Union? i doubt IL there Is
a responsible man in the Southern States
to-day, however much he admres great
figures like Jackson and Lee. who Is not
glad that the Union was preserved, even
at that terrible cost.
''Is not our policy exactly the same?
1t Is, by reason of the contiguity OF the
two islands and their strategic and eco
nomic interdependence. to fight secession
and maintain the fundamental unity of
our ancient kingdom of many nations.
believe our ideal of combining unity
with home rule is a finer and nobler
ideal than excessive nationalism. which
will have nothing less than ISOLATION
which is the Sim Fein creed and which.
if Ii had full play, would Balkanize the
world. I believe that once the struggle
is over, bitterness frogotten and unity
preserved, all will agree that in the
fundamentals the Government was right
and the Sim Fein wrong.
Il do not see. therefore, how we can
pursue different line OF policy. 1t has
never been our policy TO refuse to COM
promise about anything but the union
itself and the non-coercion of Ulster.
only a few days ago Michael Collins