Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-07-14
JAPAN JOINS IN DISARMAMENT MOVE
WHAT'S WHAT IN IRELAND
Being Resume Of Events Leading To Momentous
Peace Meeting In
London

in Dublin, de Valera and Griffiths
met Southern Unionists on that day
at the Mansion House there.
Among other things proposed was
a truce between the fighting forces.
This finally was agreed upon July 8
| and was made effective July II.
General McReady, commanding the
crown military forces, signed for the
government while the signer for
Sim Fem was Michael Collins, the
picturesque, daredevil commander of
the Irish Republican arvy, for whom
crown forces had been vainly search
ing for more than two years.
A romantic touch added to the pro-
| ceedings by the fSct that General
Smuts, Boer premier of South Africa,
] who once fought Britain, was instru-
mental in arranging for the recep-
tion of de Valera, Collins, Griffiths
and the other rebels"
Smuts owes his great influence
here to the fact that he has recon
ciled Beers to British rule, by en-
phasizing the free1m they have
under the dominion form of govern
ment. He insisted chat the same
thing can be done with Ireland if it
Is similarly given control of its own
affairs.
Campaign Justified.
Responsible rishmen think current
events completely justify the five
year campaign started by the Sim
Fem with the Easter uprising of
1916. The next high spot in Irish
history came in May, 1917, when
Lloyd George prosposed settlement of
the Irish question by having a con-
vention of all Irishmen to draft
constitution for the country.
All he asked was that they sub
nit a constitution for better govern
ment Of Ireland within the empire
he pledged the government to carry
into effect any decision of the con-
ventio1 which secured the substantial
agreement of its members.
Sim Feiners declined to partici-
pate unless the convention was left
free to decree complete independence
of Ireland; unless the English gov
ernment publicly pledged itself to
the United States and the powers Of
Europe to ratify the decision of the
convention; unless the convention
consist of none but persons freely
elected by adult suffrage of the peo-
pie, and unless prisoner of war treat
ment was accorded to Irish captives
in British jails.
/ The convention failed, as Sim
Feiners abstained, as the Ulsterites
would not agree to join with the rest
of Ireland, as the premier himself re-
fused to grant Ireland fiscal auton-
omy.
The Irish people got their chance
to show how they felt when the gen
eral parliamentary election of 1918
was held. Outside of Ulster the Sim
Fein elected practically all it's candi-
| dates
For mOwn Parliament
The Sim Feiners thus elected to
the British parliament never took
their seats. Instead, the constituted
themselves the Dali Eireann parlia-
ment of Irish people and set up
complete government with de Valera
president, and Griffiths vice-presi-
dent. An army was constituted, and I'D
in many districts Sum Fein courts
adjusted cases between Irishmen of
Sim Fein sympathies.
The urban elections of January
and rural election of June 1920 fur
ther emphasized the Sim Fein hold
on Ireland.
In July of last year the British
government began its campaign to
suppress the Sim Fein, resulting in
regular state of warfare between
crown forces and Republicans.
The list of dead on both sides
mounted into the hundreds, while
other hundreds of Sim Feiners were
arrested and imprisoned De Vavera
was the only prominent Sim Feiner
left unmolest, the British govern
ment always saying about him that
he was the man they would have 10
deal with in the event they once more
tried peaceful methods of settlement.
Hence d Valera lived quiet and free
while men like Griffith and others
were held in Jail.