Great Falls tribune., 1921-12-06


After session which lasted more
night until 2:2O Tuesday morning. the
meeting of the government ministers
and Irish representatives in the Down
ing street residence of the prime min
ister, separated, and a member of the
cabinet. replying to question as to
how things stood, said:
The news isn't bad: an agreement,
in fact, has been reached, the terms
of which will be communicated to the
press in time for the Wednesday morn
ing papers"
The delegates looked very tired and
grave as they left the premier's resi-
dence to enter waiting cars. Asked
whether he had anything to say, Mich
ael Collins. the Sim Fein finance min
lister, answered sharply, Not word"
The big qustions at issue between
the British government and the repre-
sentatives of the Irish republican par
lament have been:
Shall Ireland become entirely indie
pendent or, if it remain within the
British empire, shall there be two sep
arate governments in ireland. one for
Ulster and one for the rest of the
country? Prime Minister Lloyd
peOES6 HAS iSIuSeu LU cDilSEueI any
proposal which would put Ireland out
fused to admit that Ireland should be
split in two parts.
Ulster VS.. Sim FeIn.
Ulster refused to unite in one par
lament with the Sim Feiners. 1t has
organized a parliament of it's own un-
der the government of ireland act.
The Sim Feiners refused to set up
parliament for the south of ireland,
as proposed in that act They ad-
hered to their own Irish parliament.
called the Dali Ereann, which they had
set up independently as the govern
ing body of the Irish republic.
That was the situation when the
truce began last July, after King
George had made conciliatory
speech at the opening of the new
parliament in Ulster.
The purpose of the negotiations
which have been in progress, as de-
fined by Lloyd George and accepted
by the Sim Fein representatives was
Ito ascertain how the association of
Ireland with the community of ma
tions known as the British empire
may be best reconciled with Irish ma
tional aspirations.
The conferences began in July. Both
sides have at times entertained higher
hopes OF a final and satisfactory set
tlement probably than at any time
since the Irish question became
thorn in the side of the British en-
pire, 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 prevailing in the British domin-
ions, The Dali Eireann utterly re-
jected this proposal on the ground
that it did not afford even genuine,
dominion rule. For time it seemed
that deadlock had been reached.
Obstacle Is Overcome
Lloyd George endeavored to resume
negotiations but this move seemed
likely to be balked by De Valeras in
sistence that the Irish delegates to
such conference must be accepted as
having derived their authority from a
British premier refused to concede
that point as. he said, it would con
stitute recognition at the very out
set 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 en-
pire might be best reconciled with Ire
lands national aspirations.
Under that formula. meetings have
been in progress since early October.
The proceedings have been secret. It
has been reported, however, that Brit
ish representatives submitted plan
to give Ireland status Of s'associa-
ton" with the empire and to allow her
an almost complete measure of self
government to be exercised by separ-
ate parliaments in Ulster and south
Ireland, respectively. and by q central
council jointly chosen.
This brought Ulster again into the
negotiations and compelled Premier
Lloyd George to defer his trip to the
Washington conference on limitation of
armament so that he could devote his
time to an effort to overcome listers
hesitation or objection to cooperate
with the south of Ireland in any form
Of common government.
Opposed to Partition
The general understanding was that
the Sim Fein delegates insisted that
there must be no partition OF Ireland
into the north and south with differ
.snt forms Of government and differ
ent relations TO the empire.