The Washington herald., 1921-11-27
Two "Vital" Reservations
Include Tariff and
Naval Facilities.
IMPERIAL OUTLINE
FIRST TO SINN FEM
Hope for Benefits From
Washington Expressed
By Chancellor.

TUNBRIDGE WELLS. Nov. a6.-
Lord Birkenhead. the lord chancel-
lor of England. speaking here this
afternoon. for the first time outlined
the imperial governments proposal
to the Sim Fein for the settlement
of the Irish problem. The govern
ment's offer is for complete domin-
ion status with the sole exception
of two vital and Indispensable bl e
reservations, one concerning the
tariffs between Ireland and Eng
land and the other naval facilities
for England in Ireland
''On coming into the conference
the government made IL clear that
it could not consent to any arrange
ment which would produce the Sc
cession of ireland from the COM
monwealth of nations called the
British Empire" said Lord Birken-
head. 1T offered to the Sim Fein
representatives that they be placed
in exactly the same position-hei-
ther a better nor a worse position
as the citizens of the great Cana
dian dominion
Two reservations were made
concerning certain questions-tariff
and naval facilities-which il was
stated were plainly vital and in
dispensable to ireland as well as
England. But in all that concerned
themselves they were to be the alb
solute masters of their own des-
tiny The crown was put up as a
symbol. The crown was as neces-
sary in ireland as Il was in Canada
Australia, New Zealand and the
whole British Empire.
Substance Of All Claims.
Whatever may have been their
shortcomings in their past dealings
with ireland. none could complain
that the British government had
not-with reservations necessary
in order to safeguard the position
of Ulster-with the utmost eeneros-
ity conceded the whole substance
of her historic claims.
II would be misleading you " I
pretended that our anxieties had In
any way diminished. Neither d.
rectly nor indirectly had Il been the
policy OF this government to apply
cctrc an to Ulster. ThcrS could be
no question Cf taking from Ulster
these special privileg ges and powers
which were given to her by an act
of Parliament a year ago. 1t was
made plain that all these powers
would be safeguarded. Being en-
trusted with these powers and haN-
ing complete protection against an
invasion of them the government
hopes that Ulster sometime in the
near future will realize that as
free agent her interests will be
better served on matters which con-
cern Ireland as a whole by con-
tributing to such a union all that
Nshe could bring of her experience
and political and commercial knowl-
edge"
Dimcult to swing Ulster.
Continuing Lord Birkenhead de-
clared that this dificulty of persuad-
ing Ulster was one of the rravest
which had arisen. and he could not
confidently predict that it would be
solved. But generally he hoped that
on this point a compromise would
be reached in which Ulster would
have exercised the option as to
whether or not she chose to adhere
to such central authorities for all
ireland as had been proposed, while
at the same time retaining the
special, provileges and powers Sc
cured for her by the recent act.
Lord Birkenhead emphasized the
grave situation of Great Britain po-
litically and commercially, and he
said that the one hope for happy
emergence from the present dis
tressful conditions was the wash
ington conference where questions
of the most vital Importance were
being discussed.
Copyright. 1871