The New York herald., 1921-07-17
GIBBS PREDICTS A NEW ERA,
BORN IN PREMIERS' PARLEY


peace i have never been in doubt. be-
cause / know friends OF his who as
sured me of that some time ago and
gave me certain information that he
would accept Dominion home rule II II
were fully guaranteed and If Ulster
would consent to an ultimate union
with the rest of Ireland. Ulster is
still, as 1t always has been, the rock
upon which an Irish settlement has
split In twain. The Ulster leaders
would not abate one jot for a COM
promise during the national conven-
tion in 1917.
As soon as the King made his speech
in Belfast and Premier Lloyd George
wrote his letter to Sir James Craig
the old Ulster leaders came from their
lairs to refuse any concession to the
Catholic Irish and Ulster mobs chased
their hereditary enemies out of house
and home, shipyards and factories.
Last week sinister ideas were ex-
pressed by men of narrow vision and
narrower hearts. The Orange fanatics
vowed that they would clear all papists
out OF the six counties of Ulster and
let the southwest play about with the
negotiations, which would never sue
ceed. Then when the negotiations
broke down they would 'get it in the
neck" from a stronger army OF occu-
patton. AS an Irish friend of mine
remarked "The Orangemen like to see
Catholic rebels punished and have con-
fidence in their political friends in
England"
10 cf ho -
politicians in England whose hatred
of Ireland is so great that they would
prefer Irish peace to be broken in
order to give an excuse for new cam
paign of conquest, but think that is
libel on the main body Of opinion in
the House of Commons as we'll as in
the country, and that England as a
whole is ready to go the whole way to
dominion home rule with the most
ardent desire to end the strife in Ire
land and to insure a permanent friend
ship with the Irish people at all costs
this side of a republic. Their great
fear at the very beginning of the
negotiations was that Ulster would
again prove the stumbling block, and
that De Valera was refusing to face
facts when he kept on repeating that
Ulster must submit to the decision of
the Irish majority.
can see only one chance of a union
between these two sections of Irish
people, and that is economic neceQoity.
AS 1 stated last week, Ulster has been
hard hit in her trade by the boycott
from the rest of Ireland and by the
fall of her export trade. Her banks
are in perilous state despite optimis-
tic declarations. as I am informed,
and political independence will cost her
very dear.
Beyond that I can say nothing in
prophecy of success for the Irish con-
ference, though if the good will of
British people in all parts of the en-
pire would secure it success is assured.
By prayers the simple folk in all
churches and homes are beseiging
heaven itself for peace on that island,
where there never has been peace for
something like thousand years.
Elsewhere there are efforts for peace
within and without the British Empire
The imperial Premiers and British
statesmen have been clarifying their
ideals about the Anglo-Japanese al
lance, and can say without any doubt
whatever that If that is renewed it will
be in such a way that it will have the
appreciation of the United States, as
we'll as of Canada and Australia, for
safeguarding the Pacific waters. That
is the determination of the whole
British people and no Government will
be allowed to disregard 1t.
For the sake of our Mohammedan
relations we are endeavoring very
earnestly to secure a pact with Turkey
in a union with French and Italian
influence and without betraying essen
tial Greek interests and rights. 1t is
not an easy problem to solve and is
much complicated, but Turkish friend
ship with Bolshevist Russia, which is
providing Mustapha Kemal with arms
and ammunition and is intriguing very
dangerously against the British En-
pire in Afghanistan. That is our chief
menace at the present ime, for the Mo-
hammedan world is unsettled and
restive and we hold it only by tradi-
tions, justice and the white prestige,
which is still strong though chal-
lenRed