Evening star., 1921-11-06
ULSTER AGAIN CRUX
FOR IRISH PEACE
FyEH uhIN HPHv p
Crisis Arrives In Settlement
of lssue-LIoyd George
Holds Little Hope.
BY GEORGE N. BARNES. M. p,
British Parliament Leader.

By Gable to The Star.
LONDON, November 5.-The Irish
settlement once more is up to Ulster.
Now ireland has the opportunity OF
rendering as great q service to the
empire In the wagtng of the war.
The next few days. when Sir James
Craig ts to continue with Prime
Minister Lloyd George saries of
conferences on the new Froposals
will show II Ulster can rise to the
occasion.
There is hope for a settlement,
since Sir James has already declared
wish for peace "at q fair price"
But In any event the Irish crisis Is
grave enough to cause Lloyd George
to abandon hope OF any early at
tendance at the Washington con-
ference.
There was a distince somber note
In tho prime minister's speech In
parliament this week which portend-
cd the possibility of his resignation
fas q mode of release from burdens
which he declared were becoming
intolerable. There was a distinct
free manner in which the prime
minister adumbrated to military
neasuns 8 on q. large scale as a pos
stble sequel to the failure of the Irish
conference. and Lloyd George added
that he was far from sanguine Of
Its succesa
Lloyd George Supported.
Tho vote in parliament supporting
tho Lloyd George Irish policy was so
overwhelming as to reveal the poverty
OF the arguments as well as the
paucity Of the die hards," who are
opposed to any sort of concessions to
Sim Fein. They had only repression
to ~offer as an alternative to confer
emo and rancor as foil for obsti-
v!n.ent to have engagements else
where, and whereas fifty dissentient
unionists had signed a challenge to
the prime minister, only forty-three
voted against the government Nu-
merically as well as argumentatively
the unionist revolt proved negligible.
The debate however had done good
in that 1t has brought people on both
sides OF the channel to a knowl dge of
the facts. A solution depends on fac
the key to the situation. Sim Fein is
pressing for concessions from tina,
quarter as a Quid pro quo for aban-
donment of the claim for the indie
pendence Of Ireland. There are a
majority of Catholics in the two Ul-
nath. When in 1914 an attempt was
made to reconcile Irish differences at
conference presided over by the
king these counties were the bone of
contention which led to a breakup Of
George was against their retention
the proceedings At that time Lloyd
by Ulster He was then defeated, but
the difficulty remains.
Sim Fein makes the same claim
now that the nationalist leaders made
then. And il the present conference
breaks down on that issue Sim Fein-
ers will have the. best appeal to dem
ocratic public opinion, for If it be
wrong to coerce Ulster it is no less
wrong for Protestant Ulster to rule
the Catholics of Tyrone and Ferma-
nagh against their will. Lloyd George
IL quite alive to that fact and will
press for revision OF the border line
SO as to give to the south Irish par
Lament the Catholic population near
est to it.
AS have before suggested. a modus
vivendi might be found in a common
administration of matters Of common
concern leaving to Ulster exclusive
jurisdiction meantime of the powers
conferred upon her by the act es-
itabltshtng the north and south Irish
parl1aments last year.
Copyright. 1917