Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-12-07

TeSeHLdtlVeS OF the 1TlSn kSepupAiCaH
parliament have been:
Shall Ireland become entirely in
dependent or, if it remain within the
British Empire. shall there be two
separate governments in Ireland. one
for Ulster and one for the rest of the
country?
Prime Minister Lloyd George has
refused to consider any proposal
which would put Ireland outside the
Empire.
The Sim Feiners refused to admit
that Ireland should, be split in two
parts.
Ulster refused to unite in one par
Lament with the Sim Feiners.
1t has organized par
Lament Of it's own under the Gov
eminent of Ireland Act.
The Sim Feiners refused to set up
parliament for the South of Ire
land. as proposed in that act. They
adhered to their own Irish parlia-
ment, called the Dali Eireann, which
they had set up independently as the
governing 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
now in progress, as defined by Lloyd
George and accepted by the Sim Fem
Representatives is ito ascertain how
the association of Ireland with the
community of nations known as the
British Empire may be best recon
ciled with Irish national aspirations.
The conferences began in July
Both sides have at times entertained
higher hopes of final and satisfac-
tory settlement probably than at any
time since the Irish question became
a 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 form of
self-government in Ireland something
like that prevailing in the British do
minions. The Dali Eireann utterly
rejected this proposal on the ground
that it did not afford even genuine
dominion rule. For time it seemed
that deadlock had been reached.
Lloyd George endeavored to resume
negotiations but this move seemed
likely to be baked by de Valera's in
sistence that the Irish delegates to
such conference must be accepted
as having derived their authority
from a free and Independent Ireland
The British Premier refused to con-
| constitute q recognition at the very
outset of~Ireland's claims for separa-
ton 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 reconciled with
Ireland's national aspirations.
Under that formula, meetings have
been in progress since early
October. The proceedings have been
secret. 1t has been reported, how
ever, that British representatives
submitted a plan to give Ireland a
status of association with the en-
pire and to allow her an almost COM
plete measure of self-government to
be exercised by separate parliaments
in Ulster and South Ireland, respect
lively, and by Central Council joint
ly chosen.
/ This brought Ulster again into the
negotiations and compelled Premier
Lloyd George to defer his trip to
the Washington Conference on Lin
itatiOn of Armament SO that he could
devote his time to an effort to over
come listers hesitation or objection
to cooperate with the South of Ire
land in any form of common govern
ment
The general understanding was
that the Sim Fein delegates insisted
that there must be no partition of
ireland into the North and South
with different forms of government
and different relations to the empire
To reconcile these conflicting view
points, Lloyd George invited Sir
James Craig, the Ulster Premier. to
come to London in the first week in
November to talk things over The
situation was so delicate that Sir
James desired the support and ad-
vice of other Ulster leaders and
finally all the members of the Ulster
cabinet were called to London. IN
ionist opinion in England has been
steadfastly against any coercion of
Ulster" 1t was generally conceded
that one of the most difficult stages
of the negotiations had been reached