Evening star., 1922-01-03


erick, North Tipperary. Tyrone, Louth
and WeNf9rd-yestertlays sadded their
voices to the chorus approving the
| treaty. The unanimity of the farmers
on the question is notable feature
|! of the demand for ratification. They
have held scores OF meetings through.
out the country and, without excep-
tion, have affirmed their support OF
the pact.
Opponents of the treaty. today
brought out new organ. called the
Republic of ireland. and it was
looked upon as a new factor in the
situation. Todays papers here dis
casSed it with note of satisfaction
Its tone was not aggressive and the
! first issue refrained from personali-
ties.
Papers Urge Acceptance.
This mornings newspapers ap-
| pealed to members of the dali to heed
the necessities of the country, one
! of them saying: "The dali must de-
eide whether it is a democratic. or an
autocratic body"
Just before the dail was called to
order buzz of excitement was
caused by the distribution of an or
der of the day similar to the one cir
cufated before adjournment. calling
for Arthur Griffith's motion for rati-
| fieation of the treaty and cannon de
Naleras alternative proposals.
Art o'Connor argued that those
outside "howling at the dali to sup
port the treaty" were men who had
never done anything for the country.
Premier Lloyd George, he said. had
broken Irish unity into spectrum
OF colors from extreme purple to ex-
treme red"
Michael Collins interrupted at this
point
The farmers have a right to speak
their houses have been burned all
over the country he angrily ex-
claimed
I Mr.. O'Connor retorted that'ma of
| those who had passed resolutions
were not farmers.
-F'air Play Promised.
The extent of the step Ireland was
to take was less important than its
direction. continued OConnor. He
| would like 20 know what the head Of
the delegation in London had prom
| ised the southern unionists.
Fair play" interjected Arthur Grif-
fifth
IF it only meant fair play" con-
tinUed O'Connor. nobody would OBJ
)ect. but il it meant placing southern
unionists in place and power the Irish
people would not stand for it.
Turning to another phase sf the
treaty's provisions, the deputy asked
what was common citizenship" be-
! tween Cork aud Yorkshire. =. -
when do your constituents come
inc" one of the deputies inSerjecSed.
O'Connor replied that If his con-
stituents might have changed their
minds he had not. but he believed the
heart OF the people had not changed.
CLAIMS GamblinE In Irish Lives.
Pierce Beasley of County Kerry fol-
CT the treaty. He said he had waited
vainly for some signs from the op
ponents of the treaty of sympathy for
the poor. PROSTATE Irish nation.
Its opponents were not even united
on their formulae, some of them talk
ing isolation and others of external
association. The lives of the Irish
people he declared were being gam
bled with
The opponents of the treaty lacked
confidence in the Irish nation, Beasley
declared. When the British evacuated
Ireland the free state would be just
what 1rishmen made it, he said, and
they could make it great and glo-
rlouS land or Gaelic culture that
would rival Denmark in agricultural
development on co cooperative lines
and have its ideas put into practice.
Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins
said Beasley, had a real vision ito
sense this Irish nation trying to be
born" They knew the plain people
of Ireland and realized that a nation
was not an arid abstraction but a
thing of human flesh and blood.
AS long as the British went out OF
Ireland. what did it matter on what
formulae they left, Mr.. 'Beasley asked
Ireland had not fought for repub-
lie, but for Ireland for the Irish, he
asserted He was one Of the founders
of the volunteers, had served in the
army ever since and had taken the
oaths to the army and to the dali.
but, like Eanonn De Valera, he de-
clared, his oath meant a pledge to do
his best for Ireland.
Under the free state, continued the
Kerry deputy. ireland might be made
Gaelic-speakfng in two generations.
If the opponents Of the treaty car
ried their point. concluded Beasley
the case would be like the operations
which the doctors described as per
fectly successful, only the patient
died.
pTuATS mTnE ApApn