Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1921-08-24
THE IRISH CRISIS.

May the fates deal more kindly with
ireland than they have in centuries
past. AT the present time the ques-
/; ton of peace or war in that unhappy
country hangs in an uncertain bal
ance 1t seems that at the present time
the stumbling block is not so much
due to the terms offered by England
as to the failure of the leaders of South
ern Ireland to agree with Ulster
"Twas fate they say hayward fate
her web of discord wove." May good
Judgment triumph over fate this time
We are inclined to agree with the
New York World from which we ex-
tract the following editorial:
In denying that the British Gov
ernment's offer includes 'the status
of Dominion Home Rule for Ireland
the status OF the British dominions"-
Mr.. De Valera omits all reference to
the actual terms of the proposals. They
We're summed up by Premier Lloyd
George on July 20 in single para
graph as follows:
"By adoption of the dominion
status it is understood that Ire
land shah enjoy complete auton-
omy of taxation and finance, that
she shall maintain her own courts
of law and judges; that she shall
maintain her own military forces
for home defense, her own con-
stabulary and her own police;
that she shall take over the Irish
postal service and all matters re-
lating thereto, education, land,
agriculture, mines, and minerals,
forestry, housing, labor, unemploy-
ment, transport, trade, public
health, health insurance and the
liquor traffic, and in sum that
she shall exercise all those powers
and privileges upon which the au-
tonomy of the self-governing do
minions is based, subject only to
the considerations set out in the
ensuing paragraphs,
The considerations" later enumera-
ted covered access to Irish harbors
for the British Navy( facilities for
the British air force in Ireland as an
essential link in the development of
international air routes. an agreement
barring protective tariffs on both
sides and the assumption by Ireland
of responsibility for share Of the
present debt Of the United Kingdom.
There is nothing oppressive or I'M
fair in any Of these conditions.
The point On which Mr.. De Valera
labors with the greatest zeal is the
separation of Ulster from Southern
ireland. How would he prevent it if
Ulster persists in its present attitude?
He suggests external arbitration. But
ii Ulster still refuses. as is easily to-
be foreseen, what then? Is Ulster
to be coerced into sharing against Its
will with Southern Ireland the same
Government, and must it be coerced
by the British Government in order
to satisfy Mr.. De Valera and his fol-
lowers? II that is their design they
fatty repudiate in respect to Ulster
the very principle on which they have
based their whole case. In reason and
Justice they cannot refuse to concede
to Ulster the same rights and free
dom they demand for Southern Ire
land.
The settlement of the Irish ques-
ton along the proposed lines is as
yet by no means hopeless. Mr.. De
Valera and Sim Fein do well to bar
gain in conciliatory spirit for still
more favorable terms But to force
final break on the issue OF Ulster
would be to injure their cause ir-1
revocably. The wiser way was urged
by Gen. SHUTS. Time is on the side
Of Southern Ireland. If it will once
set up dominion form of government
for itself, the pull of economic, poll
tical and social interests will surely
accomplish what coercion cannot do
IN uniting the Irish people, North
and South, under one Government of
their own creation.