Evening star., 1922-05-31
British to Hold Dublin as
Basis for Operations, Says
Churchill.
FINDS ANGL0.IRISH PACT
IN VERY GRAVE DANGER
Factional Agreement Strikes Direct
Blow at Treaty, He Tells
Commons.
By the Associated pr.ss


LONDON, May 81 - Secretary
Churchill. in the course of the de-
bate following his statement on, the
! Irish situation. reiterated that Great
Britain would not tolerate the es-
| tablishment of a republic in ireland.
He said the British troops remaining
in Dublin were militarily secure and
were awaiting eventualities.
"In the event a republic is set up"
added the colonial secretary, 'it is
the intention of the British govern
ment to hold Dublin as one of the
preliminary and essential steps of
military operations"
Sees Direct Blow at Treaty.
Mr.. Churchill, secretary for the
colonies, asserted in the house of
commons today that the agreement
reached between the political fac
tions in southern Ireland last Satur-
day strikes directly at the provi
sions of the Anglo-Irish treaty.
No one disputed. said the secretary.
that the wish of the Irish people was
reconciliation which would give Ire
| land her freedom, her place in the
world and the hope of final unity.
Up to ten days ago the leaders of the
provisional government had appeared
TO be resolved to march steadily for
word through free election. and
put down, If necessary by force, all
armed persons who tried to prevent
them.
The agreement reached between
Michael Collins, head of the provis
! ional government. and Eamon De
Valera. the republican leader, how
ever. struck directly at the provision
of the treaty, Mr.. Churchill declared.
Consequence. Very Serious.
The consequences of the agreement
| were very serious, he said. and il
seemed probable that the Irish people
would not be able to give free ex-
preston to their views.
If Mr.. De Valera or any Of the
others who might be ministers in the
Irish government ref0sedto sign the
declaration prescri bed in the treaty,
the secretary continued, the. treaty
was broken by that fact and the im-
perial government resumed SUCH lib
erty Of acknowledges in regard
to the resumption of the powers
which had been transferred or the
reoccupa ton of territory-as it might
think appropriate to the gravity of
the breach.
The imperial government would
deviate from the treaty. either in the
strict letter or the fonest spirit of
the document, Mr.. Churchill declared
Irish People Hampered.
TT is almost certain" Mr.. Churchill
| went on. that the Irish people will
not be able to say in an ineligible
way whether they accept or reject
Pris s.fy
A certain number of labor or inde
| pendent candidates may doubtless Sc
cure election. but it is difficult to see
how the parliament resulting from
| the election and the government to
| be based on that parliament after the
| election can Rave either representa-
tive or democratic quality or author
ity, as it is usually understood"
In reply to a question Mr.. Churchill
! said that the Free State government
! did not as was charged, issue a leaf
let urging the Irish voters to sup
| port the treaty candidates IN the
coming election on the ground that
| they could thus secure a Republic
through the safe, short road Of the
! treaty"
| The provision of the agreement
that four anti-treaty men will be
included in the government after the
election strikes directly at the pro-
/ visions of the treaty, Mr.. Churchill
said, adding that the British, in max
! ing the treaty, did not demand that
the members of the parliament
| should take the oath prescribed by
| the treaty for the Free State parlia-
ment when nally constituted.
How Treaty May BE Broken.
| I'VE were content" he said, with
the provision inserted in article IL
of the treaty, that the members OF
the government should in this interim
period sign a declaration Of adherence
to the treaty, which heretofore has
been signed willingly by all the
members of the provisional govern
ment
sIf Mr. de Valera and his three
anti-treaty men, or whoever the min
listers are to be who are to come
| into the government after the cleo
tion. are willing to sign that dec
| Iaration in q bona fide manner We
will have no grounds for complaint,
| but il they become members OF the
| government without signing that
| declaration the treaty is proken py'
| that very fact.
Mr.. Churchill then made his dec
| laration that in the event OF the re-
fusal of Mr.. De Valera or Others
J ministers a1ter the electiOn 70
| sign the declaration, thus breaking
! the treaty, the British governments
liberty of action you'd be resumed
in a way appropriate to the gravity
Of the situation, as the government
| would not agree in any circumstance
To deyiate from the treaty. either in
| the strict letter or the honest spirit
Reason for Faction Pact.
oI must now in fairness" continued
the secretary, "set forth the reasons
which / understand led or forced the
provisional government to enter this
| compact which is fundamentally op-
nosed to the treaty. They declared
conditions in southern Ireland were
derenerating SO rapidly that they had
not the power to hold freely con-
tested election: that sporadic conflicts
| would have resulted in many parts:
that the ballot boxes would have been
| burned and persons and candidates
intimidated or prevented from taking
mart in the election, and that no
| coherent expression of the national
| will would have resulted"
.If that is true" continued MI
Churchill, at is a very terrible re-
fiection upon the Irish people and
their capacity to use the democratic
l irs, ssutions "a which they have SO
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