Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-12-06
Irish Peace
Agreement
Is Reached
Government Ministers and
Sin Fein Delegates Agree
On Modified Proposals
For Settlement.
Night Session Is He'd

between the government ministers
Y Sim Fein delegates reached an
- lement at an early hour this
eing on the new proposals. which
erwcnt certain notifications, for
Irish settlement ....
After a session which laster more
than three hours, from ll.l5 last
night until 2:20 this morning, the
meeting OF the government minis
ters and Irish representatives sep
arated and a member of the cabinet,
replying to question as to how
things stood, saiC:
s., The news isn't bad; an agree
unent in fact, has been reached, The
ierms OF which will be communicate
,Aed to the press"
? The delegates looked tired and
grave as they left the premier's resi-
dcnce. Asked whether he had any
thing to say Michael Collins, the
Sim Fein finance minister answered
sharply: Not word"
The big questions at issue between
the British government and the rep
resentatives of the Irish republican
parliament have been:
Questions at Issue.
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 Fciners refused to admit
y that Ireland should be split in two
parts.
Ulster refused to unite IN one par
lament will, the Sim Feincrs. II
has organized parliament OF its
own under the Government of Ire
land act.
The Sim Feiners refused to set up
~ parliament for the south cf 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 repub-
lie.
King George Intervenes.
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.
1 The purpose of the negotiations
snow in progress. as defined by Lloyd
George and accepted by the Sim
Fein representatives is ito ascertain
how the association of Ireland with
the community of nations known as
the British empire may be best rec
onciled with Irish national aspra-
tons"
The conference began in July:
Both sides have at times entertained
higher hopes OF final and satistac-
tory settlement probably than at any
time since the Irish question became
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 form OF
self-government in Ireland something
10 like that prevailing i'll the British
7 dominions. The Dali Eireann utterly
rejected this proposal on the ground
that it did not afford even genuine
dominion rules. For time 1t
: seemed that a deadlock had been
~ahcd.
Agree on Differences.
Llovd George cndeavored to re-
sumo negotiations but this move
seemed likely to be baked by dc
Valera's insistence that the Irish
delegates to such a conference must
be accepted. as having derived their
authority from free and indepen-
dent Ireland. The British premier
refused to concede that point as, he
said, it would constitute a recogni-
ton 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 ascer-
,.i:s how Ireland's association with
the empire might be best recon-
4 ciied with Ireland's national aspira-
mons
Under that formula. meetings have
f,s.n in progress since early October
'r.le proceedings have been secret.
It has been reported. however, that
british representatives submitted a
plan to give Ireland a status OF "as-
sociation" with the empire and to al
low her an almost complete measure
of scif-government to be exercised
BY separate parliaments in Ulster ard
south Ireland. respectively. and by a
central council jointly chosen.
Ulster Brought In.
This brought Ulster again into the
e.tgotiations and compelled Premier
Lloyd George to defer his trip TO the
Washington conference on hmita.
ton OF armament so that be could
devote his time to an effort to over
come listers hesitation or objection
10 cooperate with the south of Ire
I and in any form of common govern
>nent