The Washington herald., 1921-11-03
SINN FEINERS MAY
GAIN FERMANACH.
DOWN and TYRONE
Rough Agreement Must
Await Acceptance
zas-se - .-.- .ssas
By Ulster.
Especial Gable to rh. Warrington Herald,

Especial Cable to The Washington Heraid.)
LONDON. Nov. 2.-Prime Minister
Lloyd George is not going to Wash
ington on Saturday. but he hopes
to go later. His departure was
postponed. not because the confer
ence is going badly but becapse ii
has got down 10 the realities OF the
situation and is now az such critical
work that the prime minister feels
he must stay and zee it through.
London was thrown into a state
of excitement this afternoon by a
rumor that an agreement had been
reached by the conference. but at
most this was premature.
Michael Collins. when asked
whether II was true or not, said:
"If an agreement has been COM
pleted / do not know it yet. but
am hopeful. l have always been
hopeful. conference or no confer
ence."
Must Have UIster's Consent.
However. If an agreement has not
been reached, stages have been
reached at which each side knows
the TERM WHICH Will De dtCcpbdpic
TO the other. and these terms have
been brought into a rough agree
ment. Before they can be put into
effect, however, the consent of
Ulster must be obtained, and Sir
James Craig is expected in London
before the end of the week.
Discussions already have taken
place informally between his repre-
sentatives and those of Downing
Street and IL is believed that when
his followers realize that the Irish
peace, and therefore the peace of
the empire, depends on reasonable
concessions by them. they will agree
to the terms.
There are two. reports on those
terms One, and the most probable.
Is the extension of powers and the
characterization of the council of
ireland under the present home
rule act, making il real national
parliament, with Ulster agreeing to
come in as n province and retain
ing it's autonomy. Under this plan
II is possible also for Ulster to
surrender Tyrone, Fermanagh, and
parts of Down and ~ Armagh to
Southern Ireland.
Second Plan Dinerent.
The other plan, which is more
difficult of execution. is the crea-
ton of two Irish dominions and the
drawing of a frontier. similar to
that done in Upper Silesia, which
would wander in and out in
crazy quilt fashion to separate the
Protestants and Catholics and
which would be sure to satisfy no
one.
At any rate 1t is likely that
there will be a definite advance or
a definite break in the next few
days. The Irish delegates are more
hopeful than they have been and
declare that the situation is SO
per cent better than 1t was a week
ago. One of the leaders also said
that the time for formulas was
past and they had no intention of
allowing a dogma to interfere with
a common-sense settlement
Michael Collins and Arthur Grif-
fifth met Lloyd George and a couple
of the other ministers privately
today and not at 10 Downing
street
A hastily summoned meeting of
the conference committee was held
tonight at 10 Downing street, those
present being Prime Minister Lloyd
George, Lord Birkenhead. J. Aus
ten Chamberlain. Arthur Griffith
and Michael Collins. The presence
of Lord Birkenhead. who as plain
#. f. Smith was Sir Edward Car
sons right hand man in. the threat
sned Ulster rebellion of 1914, in
dicates that Ulster was the sub
ject under consideration.
(Copvrfrht ls2i1 .-'- +