THE IRISH PROBLEM.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 January 1922, Page 2

THE IRISH PROBLEM.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. RESULT OF NEGOTIATIONS. LONDON, Jan 6. The Dail Eireann Reconciliation Committee sat all Friday morning. The Dail Eireann reassembled publicly iu the afternoon. Mr de Valera immediately had an earnest conversation with the Speaker. Then the Sinn Fein President' made a statemont ,including his announcement as to his resignation as previously cabled.

Mr Boland then aßked Mr Collins il this treaty was to be regarded as a final settlement. Mr Collins (loudly): “It is not!” | Joseph McGrath (one of Mr Griffith’s ; Whips) said that he never had expected to get a Republic when he went into ( the fight, but he had the same object as the man who died, namely, to awaken the Ifisli people. Mr Boland had told him, when the former was about to return to America., that he was going to do on awful thing, and that was to prepare the Americans for something short of a Republic! Mr de Valera at this point rose to exj plain what Mr Boland’s instructions were. He had told M- Roland himself that the idea of an isolated Irish Republic would have•to be changed for some sort of an Association of the British Empire; but this change must be one consistent with the position which Sinn Fein had taken up. The committee of nine set up to reach a compromise had reached a preliminary agreement among themselves, but Mr' De Valera and one or two others had turned) down this agreement.

This was the position when tho public session of the Dail opened. It was well known that the two parties were so nearly equal; that everything; depended upon fou r or five wobblers, who had been changing their minds from day to day. Mr De Valera therefore tried appealing to the wobblers. He spoke traditional loyalty to the office and the per sonality of the President. Mr De Valera also appealed by resigning in order to reconstruct the Sinn Fein Cab inet, and to expel the ratification tie ment from it, thus enabling a new Cabinet to submit Document Number Two to the British Government and to the Governments of all the States of the British Empire, as a genuine offer of peace from the Irish people. Mr De Valera’s attempt was almost successful, but Messrs Griffiths, Collins, and Mulachy prevented a vote on this issue, which was characterised as a false issue.

OPPOSITION TO DE VALERA

LONDON, Jan 6.

Upon Mr de Valera making his state ment in the Dail, Mr Arthur Griffiths objected that the business of the House was that of the Treaty ratification motion.

Another member, however, moved the suspension of the orders of the day. to allow Mr de Valera to submit, a motion.

Mr Collins said: “If this Treaty is rejected, then Mr de Valera can have a united Cabinet in ten minutes. His motion is only a red herring. We will not have any Tammany Hall here. The submission of the joint committee’s \eport is only being prevented by three or four bullies.”

Mr de Valera objected to the use of this Expression.

The Speaker demanded that Mr Collins should withdraw his remark. Mr De Valera: “You can- withdraw the expression, but the spoken word remain*!”

The motion for the sirs pension of the orders was then withdrawn and the debate on the question of ratification pioeeeded.

TREATY NO SETTLEMENT

LONDON, Jan 6

Mr Fuller’s report shows that Mr de Valera speaking in Dail Eireann, with much solemnity, when the Dail reassembled in the afternoon said: “I think it unfair to the country and to the Dail Eireann that the discussions since the London Conference should be continued. The Sinn Fein. Executive has become completely split. We have been trying to continue, nominally, as a unified Executive, but the time lias come when this, must be ended. 1 n - sign the chief executive authority, and, with it, goes the Ministry. If you reolcet we, then, we shall stick to the Sinn Fein Constitution, and shall' use every means to make the power of Engalnd or of anyone else, impotent to hold this country. Just so surely as this Treaty goes through, there will be rebels in Ireland.”

DE VALERA’S LAST APPEAL.

LONDON, Jan 7.

The introduction to the Dail of Mr De Valera’s last effort to smash the Treaty and Mr Collins’ flaming outburst about “Tammany Hall” methods were features of a sensational' sitting, though there was an anti-climax when Mr De Valera withdrew his resignation after it was first tendered.

IRELAND’S NATIONAL STATUS. LONDON, Jan 7. When the Dail Eireann opened to-day the Speaker (Professor E. McNeil) announced a motion in his own name, asserting the sovereign status of Ireland, and pointing out that the facilities and accommodation granted to foreign nations in Ireland sliould be subject to the condition that Ireland’s liberties shall) not be endangered. Mr Boland then addressed the Dail. He characterised the Treaty as “the negation of everything for which they had fought.” He admitted that a great body of public opinion in America! and 1 in the Press, favoured this Treaty, but, he said, “the people there who have subscribed money regard this Treaty as a betrayal.” LONDON, January 7. The Dail Eireann has ratified the Treaty. The voting was as follower For Ratification 64 Against 57 Majority - 7

DE VALERA RESIGNS. LONDON, January 7. Mr de Valera has resigned from his position as President of the Sinn Fein Cabinet. DE VALERA’S STAND. LONDON, January 6. Mr Eamon de Valera, in the course of his statement in the Dail Eifeann on Friday afternoon, declared that he was sure* that if this treaty were accepted there would be; no acknowledging of British citizenship in Ireland. He himself was neither technically nor otherwise, a British subject, \ and he thanked God that he never would be one. Hp remarked that though he had never belonged So Fenian * Brotherhood, he hoped to get a Fenian’s grave, j BELFAST DISORDERS. LONDON, January 6. i Atinquest on nineteen victims of the recent Belfast disorders, the Police Inspector declared that there are now about seven thousand Belfast men of the hooligan type possessed of revolvers, which weapons he believed had come from America, Until these were disarmed, he could not see any remedy to the menace. These armed men, said the Inspector, belonged to no particular party. The Coroner said he was of the opinion that there was a large. Bolshevik element fanning sectarian strife in order to capture arid plunder. The jury’s verdict was one of wilful murder againslt the members of some unlawful association.

ROBBERY IN DUBLIN. LONDON, January 7. Four armed men held up the Hibernian Bank at Inchicore in Dublfc, j and stole ,£SOO. ! TREATY RATIFIED. I BY 64 TO 57. > (Received This Day at 8 tf.m.) , LONDON, Jan 7. The Dail( Eireann ratified the Treaty by 64 to 57. • 1 \'