The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-05

posals.
 The reply shows that Mir. Deva- lera and the Dail Eireann have not receded in the slightest from the po- sition formerly adopted It insists that the British governments pro- | posalsl are not an invitation to enter 1 into free and willing partnership D with the nations of the British com monwealth but that the conditions Mir. Lloyd George seeks to impose would divide Ireland into two artifi- clal and mutually destructive states, 1t insists that the plenipotentiaries g must enter conference untra mme,ed by any conditions but, with that pro viso, says that the Dail Elreann is l ready to appoint plenipotentiaries. 1 Except that Mir. Devalera seems to l ignore the prime minister's warning 1 of danger in continued delay, the DO sition is much the same as on the occasion of the last exchange of let ters and almost certainly there will | be further exchange before a real 1 crisis arises.
 The most threatening feature Of | the situation still remains the re. fusal of Ulster to yield the slightest point and In persistence in this at | tltude it is recognized there is real | danger.
 | lG1v OI ktGPiy
 i We. too. are convinced 1t is es- sentiai that some definite and imme- 1 diate progress should be made to- ward a basis upon which further ne- gotiations can usefully proceed, and | recognize the futility of a mere eX- change of argumeptatives notes. shall therefore refrain from com menting on the fallacious historical references in your last communica- te to unit 1 which we have to deal
 "The contentious of today are the result of the past. Accurately sum ming up and giving in simplest form. the essential data of the problem. are.
 First, Ireland, acknowledging ID 1 voluntary union with Great Britain and claiming as their fundamental and natural right to choose freely for themselves the path they shall take to realize their national destiny | have, by an overwhelming majority, declared for independence and to set Up a republic, and more than once have confirmed their choice. "Second, Great Britain, on the other hand, acts as though Ireland were bound to her by a contract Of union that forpids separation.
 "The circumstances of the sup posed contract are notorious. Yet, on the theory of its validity, the British government and Parliament claimed to rule and legislate for Ire land, even to the point of partition ing Irish territory against the will of the Irish people and killing or casting into prison every Irish citi- zen who refuses allegiance. The proposals your government submitted Tn the draft of July 20 arg based fun damentally on the latter premises We rejected these proposals and our rejection is irrevocable. They are not an invitation to Ireland to en- ter into free and willing partner ship with the free nations of the British commonwealth. They are an invitation to Ireland to enter in tho guise of and under conditions which determine a stants definitely infe- rior to that of these free states.
 No Guarnnfees
 Canada Australia South Africa and New Zealand all are guaranteed | against dominition of the major state not only by acknowledged constitu- tional right which give them equal ity of status with Great Britain and absolute freedom from the control of the British Parliament, but by the thousands of miles which separate them from Great Britain Ireland
 
 tance nor of rights The conditions | sought to be imposed would divide her into two artificial states, each | destructive of the others influence in any common council and both su,- ject to military, naval and economic control by the British government. The main historical and geographical facts are not in. dispute. but your government insists on viewing them 7 frc cto ndp tnf t1sf be allowed to view them from ours. The history you interpret as dicta.- ring union we view as indicating sep aration. We are convinced that ours is the true and just interpretation and as proof are willing that neii- tral and impartial arbitrator should be the judge. You refuse and threat- en to give effect to your view by force, Our reply must be that if yoi adopt that course we can only re- sist as generations before us have l resisted. Force will not solve he problem and it will never secure the ultimate victory over reason auf right.
 If you again resort 10 force and if victory be not on the side of jus tice, the problem that confronts IS will confront our successors ie tact that for 750 years the problem |
 dence and warning sufficient. It Is true wisdom, therefore, and true statesmanship, not any false ideal ism, that prompts me and my col leagues Threats of force must he set aside. They must be set aside from the beginning as well as during actual conduct of the negotiations.
 "The respective plenipotentiaries s must meet untrEmm eiied by any conditions save the facts themselves and must be prepared to reconcile subsequent differences. not by ap- I peals to force. covert or open, but by reference to some guiding principle on which there is common govern ment We have proposed the prln- ciple of government by consent Of the governed and do not mean 1t as a mere phrase It is simple express | sion of the test to which any pro- posed solution must respond if it is to prove adequate. and it can be used as the criterion for the details as well as for the whole. That you claim it as "a peculiarly British prin- ciple, instituted by the British and now the very life of the British com monwealth' should make 1t peculiarly acceptable to you.
 "On this basis, and this only we see hope of reconciling the consid- erations which must govern the s.- titude of Great Britain's rerresel tatives with the considerations that must govern the attitude of Irtslan1' 3 ! : | L o..t~ s~