Evening star., 1921-12-21
DUFFY IS OPPOSED
T0VOTE BY PEOPLE
ON IRISH TREATY
Envoy Urges Ratification, But
Raps Lloyd George for
Rushing Negotiations.
de VALERA EXPLAINS
| Difference IN OATHS
i Both Sides Claim Victory-Vote
Not Reached-More Verbal Tits
I During Debate.
Ry the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
DUBLIN. December 21.-Opposition
to referring the Anglo-Irish treaty to
the Irish electorate was voiced by
George Gavan Duffy. one of it's nego-
tiators. in his argument for ratifica-
tion of the pact delivered in this
mornings session of the dali eireann.
He declared he opposed this course
because of the high feeling plebi-
scite campaign would create. Such
campaign. he asserted, would rend
the country from one end to the other.
Mr.. Duffy also said that Prime Min
matum to the Irish plenipotentiaries
requiring them to sign the treaty un-
der threat, of immediate hostilities.
He termed it a 'monstrous iniquity"
that the delegates. who had been in
vited under the prime minister's roof
for the discussion of a peaceful set
tlement. should have been given only
three hours to decide the question of
signing without the opportunity of
consulting Dublin. The treaty, how
ever. should be ratified in the inter-
ests of the people of Ireland, he said.
Eamon J. Duggan, the last of the
Irish plenipotentiaries to speak in
this debate, denied that he had
been "bluffed" into signing the
treaty. He said he had signed it in
calm seclusion and with due con-
sideration to the country, the living
and the dead" He warmly urged rat
| ification.
De Valera Explains Oaths.
! Eamonn De Valera took occasion
! during the session to refer to what
was printed in the morning news
papers as his alternative oath.
THAT OATH" he said, was sug-
! gested by me verbally when l was
critjcising not the oath in the treaty,
but another oath previously suggest
ed. said the first oath was incon-
sistent with our. position and l ver-
baliy indicated what We smiKht take
THE word constitution occurs In
both oaths, but in one of them 1t re-
fers to constitution in which there
was not a vestige of British authori-
ty. The other oath is one in which
the British king must be recognized
as the head of the Irish state. There
is tremendous difference, though
the same words are used in both"
The dali adjourned at 1885 pm. un-
til $3.50 o'clock.
Final Result I'm Doubt.
The dali eireann today entered the
third day of its public discussion of the
Irish peace treaty, with the outcome of
the vote on the question Of ratification
I still in doubt.
Claims of the opposing factions ranged
from a ma jority of two against the
treaty to ten in it's favor.
The majority either way will be small,
according to the political correspondent
of the F'reeman's Journal, who warns
his readers that lit cannot be made too
plain that the situation remains very
grave"
Arthur Griffith and his supporters
in the struggle to secure ratification
are directing efforts toward making
clear their belief that the choice is
not between the status provided in
the treaty and that of an independ-
ent Irish republic. They contend
| that Eamonn De Valera's alternative
| proposals. which have not yet been
made public, differ only in a slight
degree from the terms Of the treaty.
Press Defends Ratification.
| Warmly supporting the advocates of
| ratification, the Irish Independent
says: I'm heavens name let Ireland
| take the substance and not dissipate
| her energies in discussing shadows" :"
Both the Independent and the Free
| mans Journal feature the comparison
of the oath of allegiance provided
| for in the treaty and the oath which
| it is said Mr.. De Valera proposes.
Both newspapers in their captions re-
| fer to the two oaths as "Tweedledum
| ard TWeedledee.'
| The Freeman's Journal asserts:
Government with the consent of the
governed and self-determination of
peoples have vanished with the re-
| publican creed. That ireland should
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