Evening star., 1922-02-03
SEEKS T0PREvENT
! NEW IRISH CRISIS
Craig Hastens to London Aft
er Meeting With Collins on
Boundary Fails.
By the Associated Press.


! LONDON. February 3-Sir James
! Craig, the Ulster premier. declared In
! statement today that he had been
/ told by Michael Collins. head Of the
{! southern Ireland provisional govern
ment. at their conference in Dublin
yesterday that Collins had made prom
| Use of bringing into the Irish Free State
almost half Of north Ireland. including
Fermanagh. Tyrone. large parts of Ar
magh and Down, and Londonderry City,
Enniskillen and Newry.
Sir James said he had suggested to
Mr.. Collins a weeks adjournment for
| consideration of the situation regard
! ing the boundaries between Ulster
| and south Ireland. but that Collins
had replied the differences separating
| them were so wide that postponement
! would be useless.
! According to the Morning Posts
correspondent in Belfast, great indig-
| nation. although no surprise, was
i shown there at the trick played by
province by leading Premier Craig
| to believe the question was merely
| adjustment Of the boundary line.
| while it turns out that by the irish
| delegation's agreement with Lloyd
; George large territories are In
volved."
The correspondent declares that the
Protestants in the border counties are
| resolved to defy the mandate OF any
! government proposing Ito hand over
! their brethren to the tender merc'es
of their hereditary enemies"
The Ulster premier's statement was
made to the press after he had con.
ferred with Winston Churchill. the
! colonial secretary, at the coionial
office. Sir James emphasizes H LINE tne
| in the negotiations with the pro-
yiSiOnal government.
Finds Collins Attitude Changed.
II went to Dublin yesterday, ne
said, ito discuss with Michael Collins
certain outstanding questions noplhs
to promote peace In Ireland. ~ was
! only when l started from Bel1ast'
pers that I suspected any change OF
attitude on the part Of Collins;
/ II Inoticed that he had received depu.
tattons Of Sim Feiners from different
parts Of Ulster the previous day, de-
manding that their areas should be
piled to the deputation that they were
only trying to force open the door
and using unnecessary energy IN 90
| ing So Arthur Grifith. who also was
present. said he and ms leAow uele
gates had urged the claims OF those
districts for weeks during the nego-
| tiations in IIondon-and the result was
| that the Free State should extend over
Ireland; that Ulster should have the
| option of voting herself out within
month. but that IL she did so a bound
,ary commission would be set up TO
decide il such districts should come
| into the Free State. That. said Grif-
fth, was the position today also"
situation Is Intensified.
| II decided" continued the Ulster
| premier, ito have the matter closed
i up Immediately so as to obviate even
shadow OF further misunderstand-
| ing. and I have to admit that In the
conversations with Mr.. Collins yes
! terday the difficulties regarding the
| Ulster boundaries have been revived
! in intensified form.
| when the treaty was entered into
F.; between the British government and
| representatives of southern Ireland
| we in Ulster were not consulted. We
faced the possibility of loss of ter
| ritory without our consent-territory
/ solemnly assured to US as an estab-
| lished government by his majesty the
king and the parliament OF Great
Britain. I endeavored to find a solu-
| tion of the difficulty. earnestly trying
| to bring about an honorable peace in
an honorable way"
The Ulster premier said the British
ministers had assured him privately
and that Prime Minister Lloyd George
had stated in the house of commons
that the boundary commission proVtSo
meant mere readtustment of the
boundary.
Il am Offering to lay my views be-
fore the whole British cabinet" added
Sir James. "and will consult my col
leagues in our local parliament and
in the imperial parliament regarding
| the steps to be taken in consequence
of the serious situation-one which is
not of my making. but which 1 ear
nestly tried to avoid"