Evening star., 1921-12-08
|PEACE E|NIRELAND
TO Be FELT IN US.
New State Entitled to League
Membership-Article X
Her. Protector.
ny DAVID LAWRENCE.

NY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Peace between ireland and England
means far-reachine .. effects, not only
upon the arms conference in session
here, but possibly upon the foreign
policy Of the, United States in respect
to the British dominions. The settle.
ment means:
First, that ireland ts entitled to
membership in the league OF nations
along with. Canada, Australia, New
Zealand and the British dominions.
The British now will have seven mem
bers in the league Of nations assembly
instead of six.
Second, Ireland's territorial integrity
will be guaranteed as against external
aggression by all the members OF tne
article x of the covenant. Originally,
the Irish viewed this article as q guar
antee Of British control over ireland.
but in view of the fact that Ireland
now assumes the constitutional status
of Canada, the members OF the league
are obliged to recognize ireland ter
ritorial entity as we'll as that OF any
other member.
VIII he Found Aggressive.
Third. ireland will unquestionably
find herself as aggressive about FOR
eicn policy as Canada and Australia
and South Africa have been. the
peace treaty just signed between Ire
land and England does not specify
exactly what shall be the relations OF
the Irish free state with the otner
governments of the world. This Is
delicate point and has never been de-
fined in the case of any British DO
minion. In fact, Canada went further
than any other British state had
previously gone when Premier Meighen
notified the British government at the
last imperial conference at LONDON
that if the Anglo-Japanese alliance
were renewed he might submit It to
the Canadian parliament for ratlnca.
tion or rejection. This was the frst
time a dominion premier essayed to
place an issue of foreign policy before
his parliament. 1t led indirectly to the
calling of the Washington conference
on far eastern questions.
Canada strived Long.
Ever since that occasion Canada has
been striving for more Individuality
The general elections in Canada which
were held this week resulted in vic
tory for the opposition to Premier
speakers discussed Canadian partici-
patton in matters Of foreign policy
that were of direct concern to her
and a controversy was waged in the
press as to whether Sir Robert Bor-
den, q member of the British delega-
tion to the armament conference, was
a representative of Canada or of the
crown. The Washington government
was freely criticised for not issuing a
direct invitation to Canada. to which
the United States officials have been
replying informally that the Wash
ington government dealt only with
the London government at the latter's
dian commissioner at Washington has
been squelched-at least so official
Washington understands-by the dis
inclination of the British foreign
office to permit the foreign policy OF
any Of its dominions to be handled
separately. and by the argument that
Canadian officials can confer fce-
Sir Auckland Geddes. who happens in
cidentally to have lived q long time
in Canada and is familiar with the
Canadian viewpoint.
May Produce Complications.
On the other hand. Gen. Smuts. the
premier Of South Africa, issued not
long ago a statement declaring that
Canada should have received a direct
invitation from the United States and
should have the right to send an am
bassador to any foreign conference at
which matters affecting her are dis
cussed. The South African statesman
was instrumental in drawing up the
covenant Of the league of nations,
which gave the six British dominions
an equal voice in the assembly of the
league along with sovereign states,
even though in the council Of the
league all the British states are re-
garded as q unit and their votes cast
The linking up Of Canada to ireland
in the new peace treaty Is regarded
here as likely to produce eomplica- 4
would be granted to Canada presuma-
bly, which England might consider 1t
indiscreet to grant to Ireland. On the
other hand the pressure within every
British dominion for more of q voice
in determining British external policy
is growing. and the unity Of the Brit
ish empire in the councils Of the world
will depend largely upon the skill OF
British statesmen in working out q
common foreign policy.
Frequent Meetings Foreseen.
FREQUENT meetings such as the i'm
perial conference OF dominion pre-
miers last June are seen as an tnevi-
table result with the prospect in the
future of a union of British states
under a federal control more or less
analogous to the Washington govern
ments powers over the sovereign
states Of the American union.
Peace between Ireland and England
means. however, many other things
for the United States in the imme-
diate future. 1t means slow but
sure withdrawal of the Irish aues-
ton from American politics. 1t means
a certain visit by Prime Minister
Lloyd George to the United States, even
II the issues Of the armament conference
do not in themselves demand his pres
ence The opportunity it might give
him for triumphal entry to this coun-
try following upon the heels of the Irish
peace is too good an occasion to miss
as British spokesmen here have felt for
some time that Lloyd George ought to
visit the United States and Canada be-
cause of the value such trip might
have upon the cementing Of good rela-
tions between English-speaking peoples
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