The New York herald., 1922-04-30

Npcctul CuOtc 10 IIiE NEW fORk f1I1kAID.
COPYRIGHT, 1929, by THE NEW YoRK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
Dublin, April 90.
The peace conference of the Repub-
licans and Free Staters broke down to-
day largely because of De valera's fol-
lowers being unwilling to consent to an
immediate election. Arthur Griffith, pres
ident of the Dali Eireann, and Michael
Collins. head of the provincial Govern
meet objections, while De Valera and
Charles Burgess for the Republicans Of
fered to hold a plebiscite on the Free
State treaty and to place the Govern
ment in the hands of a council of
State" appointed by the Dali.
The anti-treaty leaders, however, in
sisted upon postponement of the election
for six months and maintaining the
Irish Republican army Under an in
dependent executive.
Political severance is now accepted as
final. although old army comradeship
my produce a private and informal army
conference next week. The adherence
all the old army leaders feel at the
shooting of any Irishman, especially
der of Protestants in Cork and Null
niger has greatly accentuated, is work.
Ing powerfully to prevent a civil war.
Labor Men Regret Failure.
The conference which failed to-day in
cluded representatives of the Labor
party. which made a statement that no
agreement was reached, regretting that
prolongation of the conference could
serve no useful purpose.
Arrangements are proceeding among
certain men who, though now rivals, re-
tain their old friendship and meet fire.
Quently in the houses where they hid
from the British occasionally during the
lighting last year. 1t Is said that Col
Inns went to one of these places inn
mediately after the recent attempt upon
his life and met some of his old friends
who were members of the secessionist
army to talk over the situation. Such con-
tact continues, whatever the variance
in political opinions; and in this lies
mucn hope.
Collins and Griffith made statements
tonight regarding the propositions sub
mitted to the conference. Principally
they endeavored to insure against the
anti-treaty forces. pursuing what is gen.
orally believed to be their plan to OBJ
struct the election. Both say that they
offered to make the treaty the sole elec-
tion issue, allowing the newly elected
Parliament to draft it's own constitution,
which would then be submitted to the
country. This was rejected. They Of
fered a plebiscite, as suggested by the
Labor party, which 1t was hoped would
meet De Valera's objection that the pres
ent register is faulty. The representa-
tives refused to discuss any proposal for
holding a plebiscite within the month.
That was what dissolved the conference.
Say 1T Is Time to Act.
The Free State now must assume SOW
ereign authority, assuring a free vote
on the peoples approval of the treaty
that was signed by their authorized
plenipotentiaries, according to the state
ment tonight, which adds: This duty
will be discharged on the conviction of
Abraham Lincoln that the will of the
people must be supreme, and that gov
ernment of the people, by the people and
for the people shall not perish from the
earth"
De valeras statement said: Every
proposal put forward by the majority
party representatives was based upon
the partition and plunder act of 1920. re-
enacted in principle last month in meas
ures passed by the British Parliament
to legislate from the British point of
view the position of the so-calIed Pro-
visional Government"
De Valera was greatly interested in
Collinss Council Of State, which would
administer the country's affairs and have
complete control of the /. r. A., with
army activity limited to the preparation
for national defense and police estab-
lished under the control of the local au-
thorities.