The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-12-05
IRISH PEACE
NEGOTIATIONS
CONTINUED from Page u

for home defense and her own police,
to take over the Irish postal service,
education, land, mines, housing, trade,
transport. the liquor traffic and all
similar powers of self-governing Brit
iSh dominionS.
Six stipulations were appended.
These provided that the British navy
should control the seas around the
British Isles, that the Irish military
force should conform in numbers to
the military establishments in other
parts of Great Britain, that Great
Britain should be afforded every nee
essary facility in Ireland for the de-
velopment of air defense, that Ireland
should agree to contribute to the nav
ii and military forces of the British
Empire, that Ireland should raise no
tariff or trade restrictions against
Great Britain and that Ireland should
assume a share of the United King.
dom's present debt and pensions.
Still further. the proposals included
he full recognition by Southern Ire
land of the Ulster government with
Ill its rights and privileges.
General Smuts
The part played by General SHUTS
in the negotiations is generally con-
sidered to have been very important.
His views were set forth August 4th
in long letter to De Valera, in which
he recounted his own peoples expert
nnce in setting up the South African
Union and counselled moderation and
,orbearance. His letter seemed to
many lrishmen to carry more liberal
assurances than Lloyd Georges bare
erms and some of them urged the
PREMIER to say whether he stood by
It as part Of the terms. On August
Q, six days before the Dali convened,
lie Valera, voicing the opinion of him.
elf and cabinet. replied to Lloyd
ieorges overture and refused the of.
er as whole because, he said, it
vas 'self-contradictory"
Irish Demands
The Irish republican leader and his
olleagues while rejecting the offer
II dominion rule for Ireland, said they
pproved certain parts of it, namely,
utonomy in finance and taxation,
! ailitary forces for home defense,
IRISH police and the control of the
IRISH postal service. In his letter to
Lloyd George, De Valera said: Ire
lnds right to choose for herself the
Iath she should take to realize her
wn destiny must be accepted as in
efeasible The Irish peoples
)elief is that national destiny can
)est be realized in political detach-
nent free from imperialistic entan-
dement's which, they feel, will in
Eolve enterprises out of harmony
With the national character, prove
destructive to their ideals and be
fruitful Of only ruinous wars, crush
ng burdens, social discomfort and
General unrest and unhappiness
Dominion status for Ireland
by every one who understands the
onditions known to be illusory."
Reply of Premier
On August IL, three days before the
lail Eireann assembled to decide its
nal course, Lloyd George replied to
,e Nalera's rejection Of his peace pro.
9osals. In his letter the premier en-
lhasized point on which, he said,
no British government can com
promise, namely the claim that we
should acknowledge the right of Ire.
and to secede from her allegiance to
he king"
Lloyd George continued: The con-
iitions OF the proposed settlement do
lot arise from any desire to force our
I'll upon the people of another race
out from facts which are as vital to
relands welfare as to our own. They
contain no derogation from Ireland's
'tatus as a dominion, no desire for
British ascendancy over Ireland and
40 impairment of Ireland's national
deals. Our proposals present to the
irish people an opportunity such as
las never dawned in their history be.
ore. We have made them in a sin.
ere desire to achieve peace, but be.
yond them we cannot CO."
Ulster Position
SIT James Craig, the Ulster pre-.
mier, in setting forth the attitude OF
The people Of northern Ireland toward
ne peace negotiations, in letter to
Lloyd George on August Is, said
We are busily engaged in ratifyine
our part of the solemn bargain (the
government of Ireland Act providing
for two parliaments) while the Irish,
men outside the northern area. who
IN the past have struggled for Home
Rule, have chosen to repudiate the
government OF Ireland act and press
Great Britain for wider powers. TIC
JOIN in such pressure is repugnant 10
The people of Northern Ireland. .
we are prepared, when you and Mr..
De Valera arrive at a satisfactory
settlement, to cooperate with South.
ern Ireland on equal terms for the
future welfare of our common coun.
try"
De Valera, at the opening session
or the Dali Eireann Aug 16, reiterat.
ed his demand for complete separa.
ton, and, speaking for the Dali Fire.
ann cabinet, rejected the offer of do
minion status on the ground that the
people of Southern Ireland in a gen.
eral election had voted for freedom
from Great Britain. The Irish leader
insisted that he and his colleagues