Evening star., 1921-09-18
BY.HENRY;w. BuNN.

!" HE following Is q brief summary Of the
most important news Of the world for
the seven days ended September IT:
- THE BRITISH EMPIRE.-Replying
to Lloyd Georges invitation to p, conference at
Inverness de Valera declares "our willingness
to enter a conference to ascertain how the as
sociation of ireland with the community OF
nations known as the British Empire can best
be reconciled with Irish national aspirations"
(quottng from Lloyd Georges invitation);
states that the dali cabinet have summoned the
dali to submit to 1t for ratification the names
of the representatives 1t Is our intention to
PROPOSE" hut declares that. in view OF the
fact that Ireland has formally declared its
Independence and recognizes itself as q sovereign
state. it is only as representatives OF that
state and as its chosen guardians that we have
authority or powers to act on behalf Of our
people"
Lloyd George. replying the 18th. calls
OF the conference, saying: "If accepted a
conference with your delegates on the formal
statement Of the claim which you have reaf-
hrmed. 1t would constitute an official recogn-
ton by his majesty's government Of the
severance Of ireland from the empire and Of its
existence as an Independent republic.
TT would. moreover. entitle you to declare.
as Of right acknowledged by US, that in pref
erenca to association with the British empire
you would pursue closer association by treaty
with some other foreign power. There is only
one answer possible to such q claim that"
To which de Valera has telegraphed reply
concerning which shall say more than that
I read between the lines a desire that the con-
versattons shall not be broken of. win they?
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. the poet. is being
doomed for next president Of Germany and the
majority socialists, who have counted on
Ebert's reelection little alarmed because
of Hauptmann's popularity. Hauptmann Is Of
no party. a sort Of poetico-radical. One should
h. r;AA
dent but by all means let it be tried by
Germany instead Of by ourselves.
The reactionary Bavarian cabinet, pressed
by the Berlin government to set on foot meas
ures to suppress the reaction in Bavaria pur-
suant to the recent Wirth decree, have resigned.
but unofficially continue to carry the busi-
ness of government. Here is the trick, new and
slick in politics. Ever since the bolshevtst or
near-bolshevist episode of two years ago In
Bavaria, the Bavarian reactionaries have main
tanned what is called in the argot of conti-
mental politics state Of SIEGE"
Through inquisitions, through police sworn
to their interest, through an intelligence serv-
ice, through Illicit military organizations (now
ostensibly disarmed and disbanded. but prob
ably still secretly organized and with hidden
arms) they have excluded all but themselves from
an effective share in government. Wirth would
end this "state Of SIEGE" By a mixture Of
bluf. trickery and threats of secession. the
Bavarian reactionaries aim to checkmate the
states rights in extreme form. resolved to con-
tinue Bavaria center of reaction. Wirth is
to try to enforce the federal principle and at
the same time avoid an armed clash Can he do
SO? is one of the most important Of European
questions. He seems to have discovered a very
active reactionary intelligence service with it's
center in Munich, but with ramfcations all
over Germany. The Munich group is said to be
headed by Capt Erhardt of the Erhardt naval
brigade and kapp coup fame; the socialists call
them murder gang" and expect to- prove
that they engineered the murder Of Erzberger.
'-. '' = X ~ -
SOVIET RUssIA.-The very important
nouncement appears that Moscow has declared
state of war to exist in Bessarabia between
Rumania and soviet Russia. Moscow has
never esquiesced in Rumanias possession Of
Bessarabia; the supreme councils sanction of
Rumania's claim to that territory is more
sponsible than anything else for Moscow's ex-
treme hatred of the supreme council. It has
been only question of time when Moscow