The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1921-12-10

between the British cabinet and the
representatives Of Ireland. The well
come but surprising announcement
came over the wires at q time when
the whole world expected a complete
rupture, with the possible renewal Of
hostilities. Only the fact that the
final rupture had not been announced
and that the negotiations were con-
tinuing gave any hope of success of
the long series of conferences in
Downing street. Public and official
circles appeared to have given up ex-
pectation of an understanding, and 1t
bears testimony to the desperate
straits to which the negotiations had
been reduced that newspaper specula-
ton in the past few davshasconcerned
itself chiefly with the measures to be
taken to enforce order in Ireland.
There has been a recurrence, also, of
the talk Of an appeal to the country
by the British parliament, following
the tender of cabinet designations. !.
Article w of the agreement pro-
vides that the oath to be taken by the
members Of the parliament Of the
Irish Free State shall be as follows:
II do solemnly swear true faith
and allegiance to the constitution of
the Irish Free State as by law es-
t~ablished, and that I will be faithful
to His Majesty King George v and his
heirs and successors by law, in virtue
of the common citizenship of Ireland
with Great Britain and her adherence
to and membership of the group of
nations forming the British common
wealth Of nations"
Ulster is included in the scope Of
| the new government, with the option
| of withdrawal within one month. in
| which Ease she will revert to the
present status, with the vexed ques-
ton of boundaries to be fixed by a
commission. The new government
will fix its own customs duties. and
satisfactory arrangements have been
made regarding control of Irish ports
by the British navy. All military
forces are to be withdrawn from Ire
land under proper safeguards.
The agreement reached must be
ratified by the British and Irish par
liaments, and Ulster will not be al
lowed to block the pathway to per-
petual peace. The Sim Fein has been
pulling in one direction and Ulster in
another, while the British govern
ment has been making a desperate
effort to find a common ground for
compromising the differences between
the two Irish elements. With the
slow and at times discouraging pro
gress Of the repeated conferences
held at the call of Lloyd George. the
reading public Is familiar.
The conferences began in July.
Both sides have 1t times entertained
higher hopes of a final and sa~tisfac-
tory settlement probably than at any
other time since the Irish question
became a thorn in the side of the
British empire, but there have been
several crises when the negotiations
seemed doomed to failure. The first
of these occurred when Lloyd George
offered to De Valera at consultation
in London a form of self-government
in Ireland something like that pre-
vailing in the British dominions. The
Dali Eireann utterly rejected this
proposal on the ground that it did not
afford ven genuine dominion rule.
For a time 1t seemed that a deadlock
had been reached.
Lloyd George endeavored to re-
sumo negotiations, but this move
seemed likely to be baked by De Va
lera's insistence that the Irish dele
gates to such a conference must be
accepted as having derived their au-
thority from a free and Independent
Ireland. The British premier refused
to concede that point, Is, he said, II
would constitute a recognition at the
very outset of Ireland's claims for
separation from the British empire.
This obstacle was overcome by the
two parties agreeing upon Lloyd
Georges formula that the purpose of
the conference should be to ascertain
how Ireland's association with the
empire might be best reconeiled with
Ireland's national aspirations.
Under that formula. meetings have
been in progress since early October.
1t has been reported. however. hat
British representations submitted a
plan to give Ireland a status OF "asso-
citation" with the empire and allow