Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-08-27

Inc text OF the reply OF Premier
Lloyd George to Eamonn De Valera is
as follows:
Sir: the British government is pro-
foundly disappointed by your letter of
August "A. You write of the condi-
tions of the meeting between us as
though no meeting had ever taken
place.
Il must remind you, therefore that
when | asked you to meet me six weeks
ago / made no preliminary conditions
of any sort. You came to London on
the invitation and exchanged 1iews
with me at three meetings of consider
able length. The proposals / made to
you after the meetings were based on
fun and sympathetic consideration of
the views which you expressed.
Went Limit.
"They were not made in any hag-
Cling spirit. On the contrary. my col
leagues and | went to the very limit
Of our powers in endeavoring to re-
concile British and Irish interests. Our
proposals have gone far beyond all
precedent and have been approved as
liberal by the whole of the civilized
world. Even in quarters which had
shown sympathy with the most ex-
treme of the Irish they are regarded
as the utmost which the empire can
reasonably offer or Ireland expect.
''The only criticism of them I had
yet heard outside Ireland is from
those who maintain that our proposals
have overstepped both warrant and
wisdom in their liheralty. Your letter
shows no recognition of this and
further negotiations must, / fear be
futile, unless some definite progress is
made towards acceptance of basis.
You declare our proposals involve
the surrender of Ireland's whole ma
tional tradition. What are the facts?
Under the settlement we outlined Ire
land would control every nerve and
fibre of her national existence. She
would speak her own language and
make her own religious life: she
would have complete power over taxa
tion and finance subject only to an
agreement for keeping trade and trans
porting as free as possible between
herself and Great Britain, her best
market
Control Over Education.
"She would have uncontrolled au-
thority over education and all the
moral and spiritual interests of her
race; she would have it also over law |
and order, over land and agriculture |,
over conditions of labor and industry, |
over the health and homes of her |
people and over her own defense !
She would in fact within the shores :
Of Ireland be free in every respect of I
national activity national expression |
and national developments. The states /
Of the American union, sovereign !
though they be, enjoy no such range |
IF rights.
"Our proposals go even further for
hey invite Ireland to take her place
IS a partner in the great common
wealth of free nations, united by allie
glance to the king.
eve consider these proposals COM
,letely fulfill your wish that the prin-
'iple of government by consent of the
governed should be the broad and
.uding principle of the settlement
which your plentipotentaries are to
negotiate. That principle was first 4
developed in England and is the main
pring of the representative institu-
ions which she was first to create. It
vas spread by her throughout the
world and Is now the very life of the
British commonwealth
Gould Heal Old Wounds.
Eve could not have invited the Irish
'eople to take their place in that
commonwealth on any other principle
nd we are convinced that through it
re can heal old MISUNDERSTANDING and
chieve an enduring partnership as
onorable to Ireland to the other ma .
ions Of which the commonwealth con-
lists. ,
"But when you argue that the rela- /,
ons Of Ireland with the British en-
ire are comparable in principle to
hose Of Holland or Belgium with the !
+erman empire, find it necessary to /
epeat once more that those are
romises which no British government,
'hatever its complexion can ever
ccept.
I'm demanding that Ireland should
e treated as q separate sovereign {
over, with no allegiance to the crown
nd no loyalty to the sister nations Of ,
le commonwealth, you are advancing /