New-York tribune., 1921-09-16

eSRtSSsutatise OF an independent
and sovereign state would make
conlerenee between Us impossible.
Lhey brought me letter from
you In which yon specifically reaffirm
that claim, stating that your nation
has formally sdeclarnd its inde-
pendence and recognizes itself as
sovereign state and it Is only, you
added, as representatives OF that
state and as it's .chosen guardians
toas we have any authority or pow
{ ers to act on behalf of our people
asked them 10 warn You of the
very serious effect of such para
graph and offered to regard the letter
as not delivered to ME in order that
you might have time to reconsider
it. Despite this intimation you have
now published the letter in its. orig
inal form. | must accordingly cancel
the arrangements for the conference
next week st Inverness. and must
consult my colleagues on the course
of action this new situation necessi-
tates. | will communicate this to you
.sls soon as possible, but as | am for
the moment laid up here few days
delay is inevitable. Meanwhile.
must make It absolutely clear that
His Majesty's government cannot re-
consider its position, which I have
stated to you.
III we accepted conference with
your delegates on the formal state
nnent of the claim which you have
raafirmed it would constitute an Of
fic,ai recognition by His Majesty's
government OF the severance of
Ireland from the empire and of its
existence as an independent repub-
lie.
1T would, moreover. entitlc you
to declare as of right acknowledged
by US. that in preference to associa-
ton with the British Empire you
would pursue closer association by q
treaty with some other foreign
power. There is only one answer
possible to such a claim as that.
The great concessions which His
Majcsty's government made to the
feeling of your people in order to
secure q lasting settlement de-
deserved IN my opinion, some more
generous response, but so far every
advance has been made By US.
On your part you have not come
to meet US by single step, but
have merely reiterated in phrases
of emphatic challenge the letter and
the spirit of your original claim.
i am, yours faithfully,
LLOYD GEORGE
De valera's Note In Full
The text Of De Valera's communica
sion TO Mr.. Lloyd George is as follows.
eve are unhesitating in declaring
our willingness to enter conference
TO ascertain how the association of
Ireland with the community Of ma
tions known as the British Empire
can best be reconciled with Irish ma
tionsl aspirations.'
Our readiness to contemplate
such an association was indicated Iii
our letter of August 10. We have
accordingly summoned the Dali, that
we may submit TO it for ratification
the names of the representatives it is
our intention to propose. We hope
that these representatives will find
1t possible to be at Inverness on the
date you suggest, September 20.
I'm this final note we deem it our
duty to reafiirm that our position is
and can only be as we have defined it
throughout this correspondence. Our
nation has formally declared its in
dependence and recognizes itself as
sovereign state. 1t is only as rep
resentatives of that state and as its
chosen guardians that we have au-
thoritv or powers to act on behalf Of
our people.
GAS regards the principle of gov
ernment by consent of the governed,
in the very nature of things it must
be the basis of any agreement that
will achieve the purpose we have at
heart--that is, the final reconcilia-
ton of our nation with yours.
"We have suggested no interpreta-
tion Of that principle save its every
dag Interpretation, the sense, for ex.
ample, in which it was understood
by the plain men and women Of the
world when onsIanuary 5, 1913, you
said:
"'The settlement of Europe must be
based on such grounds Of reason
and justice as will give some prom
ise of stability. Therefore it is that
we feel that government with the
consent of the governed must be the
basis of any territorial settlement
in this war
These words are the true answer
to the criticism Of our position which
your last letter puts forward. The
principle was understood then to
mean the right of nations that had
been annexed to empires against
their will to free themselves from
the graphing hook. That is tho
sense in which we understand it. In
reality it is your government, when
it seeks to rend our ancient nation
would give to the principle an inter
fabric of every democratic state and