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

II Mr.. Lloyd George UNI
sheathes the sword, which with
that genius for saying the wrong
thing at the wrong moment that
has gained him. in England the
reputation of saying the right thing
at the right moment, he flourished
in the face Of the Irish plenipoten-
tiaries on their last evening to-
gether before dinner, he will be
fighting for the agreement and
not for Dublin Castle.
II President De Valera repeats
the achievement of Washington he
will only stiffen Ireland's job by
a navy and a few other things.
Dublin Castle Fall Predicted.
In either case Dublin Castle
falls; the garrison goes; and Ire
land is governed by an Irish Par
lament into which the Ulster
capitalists will be driven by the
Ulster proletariat. for without the
support Of the agricultural inter
ests, always inveterately on the
side Of private property. urban
capitalism cannot hold it's own
anywhere in the world.
The Dali debates are really
storm in a teacup, but Ireland has
a wonderful power of magnifying
herself and her affairs in the
eyes Of the world. An Irish noun
tain 1,100 feet high looks SO much
higher than Mt. Everest land
haunted into the bargain) that you
are afraid to go up 1t. And an
Irish alteration between Griffith
and De Valera seems big with the
doom of empires, though it's up
shot WORT even settle the cues
ton OF the agreement.
Some of the conditions have been
wantOnly manufactured Just be-
cause men like to annoy each other.
Take the oath of allegiance, for ex-
ample. In 1923 Oliver Cromwell
took the oath of allegiance to
Charles 1; in 1853 George WASH
ington took it to George III. Per-
haps some spiritualist will consult
these rhonarchs as to its value.
Oaths Should be Scrapped
1t is difficult to keep ones temper
when affairs of the world are held
up by such trifling. All these oaths
and tests should be thrown into
their proper receptacle, which is
the dust bin of history.
But that again does not greatly
matter, for any practical states
man, under duress. swallows dozen
oaths to get his hand on the driving
wheel. II he refuses, 1t is because
he either doubts his ability to drive
or has his reasons for waiting. 1t
is never the oath that stops him.
Unfortunately practical statesmen
are scarce in ireland, and the senti--
mental patriots are slaves of fixed
ideas and phrases which they have
not examined. Such words as THE
Republic" Independence" and
1.-The memory Of the dead" can
bring a lump into the throat or
most Irishmen, but really modern
problems cannot be solved by
Jumps in the throat.
Such attempts have always end
ed in the problem being aggravated
instead Of solved and the lump
being corrected by the external ap-
anime these appeals to the thyroid
scientifically.
Would Be Blow to McSwiney.
THE memory Of the dead" may
be dismissed at once because there
are so many deed on both sides
that IL we were to be bound by
the ideas they died for, We will
never get on at all. The Irish
republican army has taken good
care that Lloyd George has a
good many dead men to go back
on and be denounced therefore by
the British imperialists accordingly,
and II he stands for the living
while the Irish stand for the dead,
then God help Ireland.
II the dead are to have their
say, what about the dead prophet
who told us to let the dead bury
their dead. A prophet nearer home,
st. Terence McSwiney. the martyr,
left us some very sacred canons Of
conduct as to choosing public serv-
ants Of Ireland. 1 venture to proph-
esy that St. Terence will turn in his
grave when the spoils Of Irish VIC
tory are divided up. So much for
that popular claptrap.
Then THE republic" What is
the republic? Is it the republic Of
San Salvador or Andorra? Or of
the United States Of America? Or
France with its IS per cent Of sub
jugated aliens? Or the Irish re-
public OF Pearse and De Valera?
Obviously not a bit OF 1t.
Sees Anti disqualification.
The republic idea for which the
best men men have striven in all
ages is the civitatis Del, from which
no man can be excluded because he
is English. repeat that there are
more republicans In England today
than in Ireland and a severance be.
tween them and the republicans of
Ireland may or may not be expedient
on other grounds, but it is anti.
republican.
1t would force thousands of Irish.
men to go through the repulsive
mummery of becoming "naturalized
Englishmen" simply because the
world won't work nowadays in ma.
tion-tight compartments.