The New York herald., 1922-05-24
Words Taken as Answer to
Winston ChurchilPs Doubt
of Validity.
ULSTER SITUATION rs UP
Speakers at Ard Fheis Say At
tentiOn Can Be COncen-
trated on North.

Special Cdole TO THE NEW York HERALD
Copyright. 1927. By THE NEW YORK HEaALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Dublin, May 90.
Amid the cheering of 1000 delegates
to the Ard Fheis-the Sein Fein or
ganization representing the whole of
Ireland-Michael Collins, head of the
Provisional Government, fatty de-
clared that his agreement with Eamon
de Valera for an election and a coali-
ton Cabinet meant more to the coun-
| try than the treaty and if it inn
.periled the treaty, 1t nevertheless Left
the country able to face the conse-
quences. Arthur Griffith. President of
the Dali, and De Valera joined the ap-
plause which greeted this declaration.
The agreement was approved by the
Ard Fheis without discussion. it hav-
ing been agreed to avoid debate.
I'VE have made an agreement that
will bring peace" Collins declared. "If,
as has been said, this agreement i'm
situation in this manner-that we
have made an agreement which will
bring stable conditions to the coun-
try. and if there are stable conditions
are they not more valuable than any
other agreement? IHere he was in
terrupted by cheers of APPROVAL Well
then we must face what these stable
conditions enable us to face"
He waited until the applause had
subsided and then continued: "That
much is quite clear. This much also
is clear: That stable conditions in
Ireland can under no conceivable cir
cumstances be an injury to anybody"
Answer to Churchill.
This on the eve of Grifflth's departure
Tor London to discuss the situation is
taken as Coliins's answer to Winston
Churchil's statement in the House of
Commons yesterday that "the agree
ment would appear to raise a very seri-
Gus issue affecting not only ne char
acter and validity Of the election con-
teriplated in the Irish Free State agree
ment act but also affecting the treaty
itself"
Collins's declaration occurred In the
course of his speech seconding De Valera s
motion that the Ard sheis approve the
fagreement reached between the factions
In the Dali Eireann Saturday. which
later was adopted. Collins also dis
cussed the Ulster situation briefly ana
sharply. He assured the delegates that
the pact would be a great factor in pre-
venting war OF determination against
the coreligionists in northeast Ireland.
TN the northeast a certain section Is
making a last desperate stand to main
tain their ascendancy." Collins said
They are making the starA for >7ition
that was outlined by their spokesman.
Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson. III
they are confronted. believe me. by \
united Ireland. by n united voice from
all Ireland that thinks as we do, they
cannot ignore that voice. We must
unite TO face the situation in the north
east and also unite to face any situation
that comes UP from outside from any
other nation
! De Valera opened the meeting with a
short speech, simply proposing that the
organization approve the Dali agreement
and interpreting 1t not as a triumph for
either party but as a triumph for the
whole nation.
Horrors I'm the North.
Some of the northern delegates TO the
| Ard Fheis told of the horrors they had
witnessed In the northeast. Others OF
the delegates asked that their names be
withheld because IL 1t became known
that they had attended the Ard Fheio
they would be liable to be shot One
described the conditions in a town near
his, where he said the Ulster special
constables drove away a large section
of the population.
II want TO impress on you," he said
that 1t s a serious matter There are
| 200, 900 people armed In the north. and
not single arm have we to protec,
ourselves. determination is the only
word to describe the policy being pur-
sued against us. 1 do not know, under
God. what can be done. These brutal
constables. ranging from IL TO so years
are all armed Unfortunately. II is
really a serious matter--a matter OF
extermination."
Austin Stack said that all members
OF his party supported the agreemen,
and that he thought all sections OF the
army would approve it. In replying "a
a request from THE NEW YORK HER
AID correspondent for a statement that
would assist the Irish in America To
judge the pact. Stack said:
When / arrived In Dublin I ascer-
tanned that this agreement had the APP
proval OF all our people as well as the
pro-treaty section. 1t seems practically
certain that each section OF the army
will approve 1t in its entirety. There Is
no doubt that IL the arrangement lasts
any time. perfect order will be restored
in the country, and with the Dali Gov.
ernment of the republic continued in
existence. as is the intention under the
agreement. the whole thing appears 10
me eminently satisfactory.
"One OF the great things Il has
brought about IL the stopping OF a
contested election which would have
been fraught with much bitterness be-
tween Irishmen. I have very sincere
hopes that It will mean keeping TO.
gether the two big political sections
represented In the Sim Fein Ard Fheis
to-day--those being the sections which
brought the nation to the position II
occupied at the time of the signing o,
the London agreement"