The Pensacola journal., 1922-12-24

victory, but he planted the banner so
firmly in the soil that no assault
could succeed in tearing it down, and
| this day when I stood with Mr.. Bonar
| Law at the bar of the House of Lords,
l saw this banner flourished in tri-
! umph rom the steps of the throne
by Unionist Lord Chancellor. That
was the first memory that flashed
through my brain.
No. 10 Downing Street.
The next was of a dreary December
night just one year ago when on one
side of the cabinet table III 10 Down
ing street sat four representatives of
Great Britain, and on the other five
Irish leaders. 1t was the famous
room, wherein British cabinets have for
generations forged their Irish policies.
Coercion and concession alike issued
from that chamber. Pitts act of
union was discussed there, and so was
GladstOne's home rule blls-the de-
cision to use British soldiers to throw
Irish tenants out Of their houses with
torch and battering ram, and equally
the bill which made every Irish ten
ant the lord and master of his home
all issued forth from this simple and
unadorned council chamber.
And now came the final treaty of
peace. Would it be signed? 1t was
an axious moment charged with des-
tiny for the two great races which
confronted each other at that green
table, The British representatives
were associated with me on that oC-
casion were Mr.. Austin Chamberlain
i recall now how he sat by the
side of his doughty father Mr.. Joseph
Chamberlain in 1898 during the ia
nous nightly duel between him and
Mr.. Gladstone. How strangely little
thirty arduous years have changed
his personal appearancc-Lord Birk-
enhead who in 1898 was carving for
himself a brilliant career as. a student
at oxford and as a debat0r in the
Union; Mr.. Winston Churchill who
was then a cadet at Sandhurst whilst
his father was engaged in the last
great parliamentary struggle of his
dazzling but tragic career; Sir Cor
don Hewart,. now Lord HeWart, a
man who has risen on the piniOns of
powerful intelligence to the height
Of Lord Chief Justice of England.
Ny recollection is that the other two
British delegates-Sir Laming Worth
ington Evans and Sir Hamar Green
wood-were stricken with illness and
were unable to be present.
Liberty Within Empire?
After weeks of close investigation
the climax 0f the decision had been
reached. Britain had gone to the
limit Of concession. No British
statesman could have faced any ass
sembly of his countrymen had he ap-
pended his signature to Il convention
that placed Ireland outside that fra
ternity of free nations known as the
British Empire, to free her from that
bond OF union which is represented
by A common feaity to the Sovereign.
1t is not easy to interpret the po-
tency Of this invisible bond to those
who are brought up TO Yenerate other
systems. 1t is nevertheless invinci-
bIe. Would the Irish leaders have
the courage to make peace on the
only conditions under which peace
was obtaiuable-liberty within the
Empire?
Oppostte me sat = dark. short. but
sturdy figure with the face Of a
thinker. That was Mr.. Arthur Grif-
fifth. the most unirish leader that
ever led Ireland. quite to the point Of
gentleness, almost to the point of
appearing. saturnipe. a man OF la
comic utterance, he answeredEin mon
osylahles where most men would have
considered an oratorical deliverancc
to be demanded by the dignity Of the
occasion. .- te.--
Arthur Griffin Signs. 80 d.
But We found in our few weeks &C