Evening star., 1921-12-05
Negotiations Break Down After
Sim Fein Leaders Flatly Re-
fuse Conditional Promises.
LLOYD GEORGE GOES TO KING
: BEFORE DECISION is ANNOUNCED
De Valera's Orders Carried Out-British
to Publish Correspondence-Fear
Fighting Cannot Long Be Prevented.

DTOktll QOWll, dCCOIullIS " state
day, and the dali eireann delega
to Ireland tomorrow or Wednes'
The truce still remains in eff
OF hostilities is looked for.
The crisis in the Irish peac'
attention of official circles today.
an audience with King George a
after which the British peace r.
This was followed by a meeting
On the government side, it
be that the refusal of the Sim
king made an agreement imposs
sisted upon by the British, and '
liminary to securing any assent
Allegiance Flatly Refused.
The Sim Fein. it is declared. re-
fused even a conditional promise of
allegiance contingent upon a settle
ment, the most it offered being to
recognize" the king as head of the
commonwealth of free nations.
The closest examination of the gov
ernment's latest terms satisfied the
Sim Fein delegates and the dali
eireann cabinet, it is asserted, that
they contained no advance on the
terms of Prime Minister Lloyd
Georges original letter. which was
formally rejected in July by Eamon
De Valera in his speech to the dali.
Two months of negotiations with
l. = - Trs ~
amy father. it was argued, and ac-
cording to well informed quarters
some of the delegates were opposed
even to the consideration of the new
proposals by the dali cabinet last
Saturday. these delegates being satis-
fed that acceptance by the negoti-
ators would not be indofeed by the
Sim Fein in Ireland.
1t did net take the dali cabinet long
to decide the issue, it appears.
DE Valera Gives InstrvctioBs. \
After a short discussion In which
all the cabinet members rejected the
governments proposals. Mr.. De Va
1era turned to the delegates and, said:
These are your instructions; they
are the instructions of the people of
Ireland"
The truce continues to exist until
notice of it's termination is formally
given. and both the government and
the Sim Fem say they have no in
tention of giving that notice. Never
theless. both sides feel, it is declared,
that the course of events will be
bound to involve a renewal of hostil-
tiles.
Put Hope In Public Opinion.
The Sim Fein delegates visited
of
afternoon. It is understood they
conferred with the government rep
resentatives concerning the question
OF continuing the truce.
The hope was expressed in some
government circles that when the
governments terms were made public
the weight of average Irish opinion,
assumed in these circles to be moder-
ate. might be exerted to influence the
Sim Fein. The most important body
quarters in close touch with it to
hold the view that an agreement
would have been possible had the
government not as these southerners
consider it, yielded to Ulster.
On the government side it was de-
clared the cabinet up to the last had
tried to find some form of adjust
ment of the wide differences between
the governments proposals and the
amendments which the Sim Fein
delegates submitted. indicating the
fullest extent to which they were
prepared to go.
VIII Give Out Correspondence.
The correspondence in connection with
the negotiations will be made public by
the government. it was stated. and
Prime Minister Lloyd George is expected
to make an explanatory statement.
The Irish delegation yesterday in
formed Premier Lloyd George that the
governments latest proposals were un-
acceptable to the dali eireann cabinet.
Premier Lloyd Georges difficulty. ac-
cording to those in close touch with
him, is that he cannot ask Ulster to
agree to any terms which British opinion
would not indorse.
Again Meet Premier.
The Irish conference reassembled in
Downing street at the official residence
of Premier Lloyd George yesterday aft
crnoon to discuss the latest phases of
the Irish situation. Those present were
Mr.. Lloyd George, j. Austen Chamber
lain. lord privy9 seal; Viscount Birken-
head, lord chancellor. and Sir Robert S.
Horne, chancellor of the exchequer, rep
resenting Great Britain, and Arthur
Griffith, Robert Barton and George
Gavain Duffy. representing the Sim
Feiners.
Lloyd George is firm in the stand
that the allegiance question cannot
be abandoned or camouf1aged, and
this, it is said. has proved the most
insuperable of all the obstacles to a
settlement.
The proposal that the king might
he recognized as the head of British
federation Of free states but not as
a king of Ireland was objected to
by the British minister's. 1t was de-
clared II would be secuted by Ulster
and would not be Ineligible to the
British electors. An attempt was
made to devise some form Of al
legiance the Sim Fein might accept,
but this apparently proved unsuc-
cessful.
The crux of partition was almost
equally serious. The Sim Fein re-
CARDS Irish unity as fundamental and