Evening star., 1921-12-16
IRISH PEACE PACT
| IS RATIFIED BY BIC
| PARLIAMENT VOTE
Overwhelming Majorities in
Favor of Creating of New
Irish Free State.
de VALERA WOULD PUT
CODICfLS ON AGREEMENT
Lloyd George Denies Saying Ulster
Might Lose Two Counties.
Craig Again in London.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON. December 16.- Both
houses of the British parliament rat
ified the treaty creating the Irish free
state by overwhelming majorities this
afternoon.
The house of commons first adopted
the reply to the speech from the
throne on the Anglo-Irish treaty. re-
jecting the unionist amendment to
the address by a vote of 4O1 to 5S.
The adoption of the address means
the acceptance of the treaty by the
house of commons.
The house of lords took similar
action only few minutes later. The
lords rejected the unionist amendment
by vote of 166 to Al.
At the resumption Of debate on the
treaty in the house of commons this
afternoon Arthur Henderson. labor
leader. stated that the labor party
welcomed the treaty and hoped it
would be ratified.
Mai. Robert ONeill. speaker Of the
northern parliament at Belfast at
tackled the treaty. particularly on the
grounds that it proposed revision
ireland without the consent OF Ulster.
Premier Denies Report.
Prime Minister Lloyd George inter-
vened in the debate and said he un-
derstood the suggestion had been
made that he had said if Sim Fein
had a majority in the two counties OF
Tyrone and Fermanagh. south Ireland
would get the whole of these two
counties. He declared he certainly
nj
On the contrary. he declared. all he
ever had suggested was that the
cha racter of the population would be
taken into account, as well as the
economic and geographical condi-
tions.
While nowhere was there the least
doubt that the treaty would be rati-
fled by large majority at West
minister, anxiety was expressed here
today as to it's ultimate fate in Dub
lin. where proiongation OF the dans
secret session was Regarded as an
undesirable symptom.
Some of the Irish correspondents
of the morning newspapers were
hopeful, others did not conceal their
doubts, while one or two wer9 IN
ever, could profess to certain knowi-
edge of what happened at the datBs
private sessions. the respective re
ports could only be recorded without
an indication as to their importance.
De Valera Wants Codicils.
Eamonn De Valera, who, according
to some rumors, was winning many
Of the waverers to the opposition,
was credited by the Daily Mails Dub
lin correspondent with the intention
of asking the dali to vote codicils
to the treaty which would alter its
character especially regarding the
oath of allegiance. If these were
adopted he would, it was said. ask
for their consideration at a fresh
conference in London.
Another report said that Erskine
ChiIders. secretary of the peace dele
in London. was now strongly oppos-
ing its ratification. Another de-
scribed the debate as being conducted
over a volcano, which might wreck
the efforts of the peacemakers.
Serious anxiety was expressed IN
the morning newspapers concerning
the delay in the dali. some emphasiZ-
ing that the longer the decision was
deferred, the greater became the risk
of serious breaches of the truce. They
pointed to the shooting of two con-
stables in ireland recently as dan
gerous symptom. For this reason
the writer's decried the IDEA or re1e-
rendum on the treaty in southern Ire
land. although firmly believing that
such a test would result in an over
whelming triumph for the agreement.
Quick Ratification Urged.
These observers urged a quick vote
on the treaty in the imperial parlia-
ment, believing that when the agree
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