The New York herald., 1921-07-17
Continued from First Page.


which gave but doubtful blessing to
that patchwork treaty. but which was
wistful of a spirit nobler than its
terms. Those words We're not to the
liking of Mr.. Lloyd George, who had
to stand the racket of what had been
done, and for a time. I am told, there
was GOODNESS between these two men.
though once Lloyd George had made
Gen. SHUTS his friend and counsellor.
Now Gen. Smuts has come into his
own again, as he was bound to do
because of his shining clarity of intel
ligence, his utter honesty of purpose
and his noble persuasiveness in the
cause of human tolerance, Without
any reservations or diplomatic subtle
ties he said: peace must be made in
Ireland for the sake of justice and our
imperial prestige. The problem is diff
ficult, but it can be solved"
He stood above party conflict and
cruel bigotries. No pettyfogging pol
iticians will be able to poison his mind
or obscure the clear purpose of his
vision, and there are men in England
to-day in high places as well as low
who say "He is the man We were
looking for Why not make SHUTS
our next Prime Minister? A Boer ed
ucated at Cambridge and in arms
against us in South Africa is hardly
designed to be Prime Minister of Eng
pened in history"
Would End Dirty Civil War.
But now what of Ireland? I have
passionate hope in my heart that
peace may come after these years of
dirty civil war, this agony to women
and children, this disgrace to the finest
qualities in both, damaging to our
reputation in all the world. But
there are still evil forces at work on
both sides which will endeavor to
break all chances of success of negotia-
tions with age long prejudices and
traditions, not too evil perhaps, but
stubborn and irreconcilable, which
were quickly modified to intervene.
Let me analyze little all this psy-
chology that has been at work in these
last few days after Premier Lloyd
Georges letter was received by De
Valera.
mense and pathetic hope has been
stirred in the hearts of the Irish peo-
pie who belonged to the non-combat-
ant ranks and were the victims of the
guerilla war which endangered their
lives and property and surrounded
them with terror. To them exploits Of
the Sim Fein army were as dangerous
as retaliation by British forces. They
stood to lose either way between two
fires. Their nerves were torn to tat
ters and they suffered from soul shock.
So at the first hint of a truce they
prayed God to give them peace, and as
a sign of reconciliation and hope they
fraternized with the British troops,
who hated the work they were ordered
to do and the hostility of the people
with whom they had no cause to quar-
rel, except for an enemy in disguise
among them threatening them always
with secret death If ever they should
walk alone.
IntelIectuaIs Back Sim Fein.
The main body of the Irish people
is not, am sure, against a reasonable
compromise, but the leaders and devo-
tees of republican claims are pro-
foundly perturbed. At the first hint
OF peace negotiations they were afraid
that De Valera himself might yield to
persuasion and for the sake of ending
bloodshed might surrender his republi-
can ideals. There are still many of
them who would regard such a sur
render as treachery to their dead and
who refuse to accept full Dominion
home rule as anything but an install
ment toward a republican state. They
are irreconcilable to any form of COM
promise, to any link whatever with
Great Britain, to any form of govern
ment which does not give them abso-
lutte sovereign power.
These are not gunmen, but intel
lectuals of the Sim Fein, priests and
literary men who have been the real
spirit behind the guerilla warfare, fam
ming its fires. AS far as the Irish re-
publican army is concerned, I believe
many of these boys who were con-
scripted under terror would willingly
lay down arms. but there are many
also, am told on good authority, who
are prepared only for fighting with
hatred in their hearts and will not
easily be demobilized.