The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-15

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a part of the Irish situation was
solved in the acceptance OF the
Sim Fein OF the creation of the
Irish Free State There remains
to be settled the question of the
/ boundary between that state and
the northern section of Ireland
known as Ulster One of the most
[ important clauses in the agree
ment ratified by the Dali Eireann is
, that providing for a boundary COM
mission to decide this matter if the
Free State and Ulster cannot do SO
amicab1y.
The question of this boundary is
exciting every Irishman in and out
of Ireland Michael Collins, head
of the provisional government of
the Free State, has been quoted by
Sir James Craig, premier of Ulster,
which having promised to bring
into the Free State almost one
half of what is ordinarily known as
/ Ulster. Furthermore, a number of
delegations from widely separated
sections of Ulster have waited upon
government with petitions asking
that their portions of the Emerald
Isle be included in the Free State.
On this account, the initial settle
ment of the Irish troubles may be
only the forerunner of serious dis
turbances in both sections of the
Island.
Some Ulstermen are said to have
decided upon defying the British
government in its proposal to turn
over thousands of Ulstermen to the
Free State. They are active in de-
nouncing Downing street, charging
that it made an agreement with the
Sim Fein delegation to include
large sections of what has been ac-
cepted as Ulster in the southern
Irish dominion.
officials of the Free State de-
clare they cannot refuse allegiance
to any section of the country plead
ing to be included in that state.
They say that if more than one
half the inhabitants ask for entry
into the new Free State, then the
Free State will be forced to include
them in its boundaries.
No Definite Boundaries.
The fact is that Ulster has not
and never had any geographical
lines. The nine northern counties
long have been known as Ulster. So
far as history is concerned, this
section included Donegal, London
derry and Antrim, which extend
across the north of the island from
west to east; Tyrone, Armagh and
Down, all south of the first three;
and Fermanagh, Monaghan and Ca
van, below these. But when the pro-
visionaI boundary was fixed by the
act of parliament of 1920, Donegal
on the northwest was given to what
is now the Irish Free State, along
with Cavan and Monaghan, leaving !
Londonderry, Antrim, Tyrone, /
Down. Fermanagh and Armagh as
the six counties forming Ulster. /
According to what Sir James
Craig says, it has been decided by ,
the Irish Free State to include in /
that state the whole of Fermanagh, |
Tyrone. goodIy portions of Armagh !
and Down, as well as the cities of |
Londonderry, Eaniskillen and New
~. Londonderry City, with a pop !
ulation of $4,000 is a seaport on the !
northern coast of Ireland. Sir /
James is positive in his statement /
that the Free State must not thus !
drive a wedge between portions of
Ulster.
If the line between Ulster and
the Free State is settled without
much bloodshed, it will be the first
instance within the history of man
that a comparatively peaceful So
luton has been reached of so inn
portant an Irish problem. Pug
nacity and strife regarding Ulster
lid not begin with the plantation of
James l, as some Irish have it. The
earliest Irish epic, known as the
'Tain-Bo" is devoted to "scrapping
With Ulster. at is natural for US
% hate proud Ulster" quoth Queen
Iaev to her daughter in the ancient
lays when there was nothing for
hem to fight over except a brown
)ulI. Of course, one side possessed ]
he brown bull, or "tain-bo' and !
he other side wanted it, which sit :
lation formed a most excellent rea-
ION for bloody war in Ireland.
Ancient Ulster Territory.
From the time of Queen Maev
Until centuries after, Ulster was the I
of Antrim. Down and a {
lection of Louth. When the O'Neills
uled in Tyron, they generally had {