Evening star., 1924-08-21

Once upon a time when Irish home
rule was the paramount issue In
British politics, and muddying the
waters of American politics besides,
a distinguished Englishman said that
peace was the last thing that would
make the Irish happy-that strife
and turmoil were their natural ele-
ment This investigator into Euro
pean conditions of interest to Amer
lea comes upon the Emerald Isle at
a moment when Irish skies once
again are heavily overcast. the
boundary dispute between the Free
State and Ulster has assumed acri-
monious dimensions. The crisis arose
through the refusal of Ulster to ap-
point a representative on the bound
ary commission, which under the
Anglo-Irish treaty was also to con-
sist of an Irish Free State delegate
and a neutral chairman. Ulster con-
tends that the commission was in
tended to deal only with "rectifica-
ton" of the boundary. whereas the
Free State is claiming more than half
of northern Ireland's territory. At
the moment this article is dispatched,
the British government is planning
to override Ulster by enactinG leglS-
lation in the House of Commons
designed to give effect to the treaty.
Irishmen, whether from the north
or the south, deplore the outbreak OF
the boundary conflict, because, how
ever settled. it is bound to rekindie
the always smoldering embers OF
hostility between the two geograph-
ical sections of the country. Desmond
Fitzgerald, the Free State Minister
of External Affairs, spoke freely of
the controversy, from Dublin's stand
point.
For All Ireland.
Briefly" he said, this is the situa-
ton: The negotiations with Great
Britain for the treaty. whereby the
Free State was created three years
ago, were undertaken on behalf Of
the whole of Ireland, and this fact
was recognized and incorporated in
Clause l of that instrument. The
British delegates urged that they
were bound by pledges to the minor
ity in Ireland, to the effect that that
minority, largely situated in north
east Ulster. should not be coerced.
The Irish delegation stated that they
wished to avoid all coercion in Ire
land, and, therefore, agreed that
while the Free State should be the
whole of Ireland. the subordinate
government of the six northeastern
counties could. by an address to the
king within one month of the ratifi-
cation of the treaty, opt out of the
jurisdiction of the Free State. 1t
was provided, however, that in this
event the minority in the six counties
who wished to belong to the Free
State and not to the northern Parlia-
ment should have their rights safe
guarded and be allowed to opt out
of the jurisdiction of the Belfast Par
Lament.
The area so to be affected was tC
be decided according to the wishes of
the inhabitants, subject to geographic
and economic conditions. The bound
ary commission, which is to consider
this matter, will presumably begin to
operate within a month (by the end
of August). It's work should be to de-
eide in what areas in the six counties
a majority of the people wish to be
incorporated in the Free State (hav-
ing due regard to geographic and
economic conditions), and on these
lines to determine the boundary, sc
that the six county minority whose
rights are to be safeguarded may obtain
the government of their choice. There
have been delays in setting up the
commission, but its terms of refer
ence and the work to be done are suf-
ficiently clear; and as the Free State
government all through has only de-
sired that justice be done to the whole
of the people of Ireland, we must
presume that the findings of the COM
mission will be satisfactory"
Position Towards Britain.
The writer asked Minister Desmond
to discuss candidly the position and
progress of Ireland as a Free State
within the framework" of the Brit
ish Empire. THE visitor to Dublin
today" he replied. "sees q Parliament
of the Irish peoples choosing, passing
and putting into effect remedial and
constructive measures and meeting
with no external hindrance in doing
so. The visitor sees an Ireland with
a judiciary reconstructed by that Par
lament according to the peoples own
ideas and needs. The visitor sees in
Ireland with her delegates taking
their rightfu1 place in the counsels of
Sarope, at the League of Nations in
Geneva The visitor finds such evil
dence of external sovereignty as the
Hfesence of Ireland's own minister
plenipotentiary at Washington and
Her separate and unqualified accept
once of the Lausanne treaty.
1.-THE fact is that Ireland at present
hes as much of national sovereignty
as she is able to make full use Of.
The mass of the people realize this.
The anti-treaty party, accepting the
logic OF facts, are now contenting g
themselves with constitutional ac-