FIGHTING TERRORISM.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 April 1920, Page 5

FIGHTING TERRORISM.

STATEMENT BY MR. LLOYD GEORGE. Received April 5, 7 p.m. London, April 2. Mr. Lloyd George, in a letter to the Lord Mayor of Dublin, points out that Ireland is menaced by a formidable organisation that is seeking to terrorise the public officials. The campaign has attained such proportions as it is impossible in an ordinary way to obtain evidence leading to arrests and convictions. Despite these difficulties the Government's imperative duty was to leave no stone unturned to lay hands on the terrorists, even if at times compelled to dislocate in some degree the normal life of the communitv,

Mr. Lloyd George believed the present campaign was largely prompted by a desire to make impossible a settlement of the Irish question, and urged that the present Bill was more generous than am; previous measure. It provided the means whereby Ireland could attain unity by the free act of its own citizens without further reference to the Imperial Parliament. The Premier does not believe it possiWp for Ireland to obtain unity and peace except bv these methods of reason and concilia'ivn. The policy of Sinn Fein was exactly the opposite. It depended upon violence, a policy which would never lead to union, and cer.tainly could never achieve its avowed object, namely,'the establishment of a republic. It could only condemn Ireland to a long continuant- of thejterrorism and distress dominating •it to-day, for the Government could not be deflected from what it believed was the only course consistent with reason and commonsense. If any means whereby moderate men could b e helped to withstand and oppose the campaign of intimidation, and so bring nearer a settlement of the question, he would gladly co-o;=rate in bringing it into effect.—lmperial Service.