PEACE OR WAR?

Taranaki Daily News, 15 February 1922, Page 5

PEACE OR WAR?

ISSUE FOR THE PEOPLE. ATTACK ON THE,TREATY. / DE VALERA’S REBELS AGAIN By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received Feb. 14, 8.10 p.m. London, Feb. 13. Mr. Michael Collins (head of the Irish Provisional Government) has telegraphed to Mr. Lyons, secretary for the Recognition of the Irish Republic body at Washington : “I firmly believe the Dail Eireann should not allow its funds to be applied either for the Free Ireland Party or the self-styled Republicans. The alternative to the treaty sooner or later is a reversion to war conditions, and that is the issue I want the people to decide. If they decide for war no one can doubt where I stand. “Meanwhile do not torpedo us, and I warn you not to assist or countenance the coup d’etat which is being planned against the new Government, as witness the affair in Cork, where departing British police had their arms seized by de Valera’s supporters. The only object of such action was to destroy the provisional Government and hamper the evacuation of British forces. “De Valera’s statement makes it perfectly clear that we are regarded as greater enemies than the British. Do you stand for that? Let us all be frank and candid and see where our different policies lead.” —Aus.-NIZ. Cable Assn. Received Feb. 14, 7.25 p.m. New York, Feb. 13. Mr. Michael Kelly, secretary at the New York headquarters of the American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic, has received a cablegram from de Valera asking that funds should be | collected in America to finance his campaign in opposition to the Provisional Government of Ireland.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Asn. CURFEW IN BELFAST. HEAVY CASUALTY LIST. Received Feb. 14, 9.10 p.m. London, Feb. 14. A Belfast message reports that the situation is so critical that the authorities have reimposed the curfew. Seven were killed and twenty wounded between midnight and six in the morning, mostlv due to snipers. One man was killed sitting aL home rocking his baby’s cradle, and the child narrowly escaped. Raiders at Sligo drove up in motor cars and robbed the Bank of Ireland of £9OOO and the Provincial Bank of £6OOO. MURDER OF AN OFFICER. THREE ASSASSINS CAPTURED. Received Feb. 14, 9.10 p.m. London, Feb. 13. Mr. Collins has telegraphed to Mr. Winston Churchill as follows: “I have just been informed that we have captured three of those responsible for the death of Lieut. Mogan Brown. You may rely that those whom we can prove guilty will be suitably dealt with. Civilians and soldiers have co-operated in tracking those responsible for an abominable action.”—Aus.-N.Z Cable Assn. Four armed robbers shot dead Lieut. ■ Mogan Brown, of a well-known military ■ family, while he was motoring back from a bank at Kildare with £5OO in hie possession. The assassins shot the lieutenant near his barracks, and he fell on the footpath. They then commandeered his car and disappeared. THE RECENT OUTRAGES. STATEMENT BY MR. CHURCHILL. London, Feb. 13. Mr. Churchill, replying to questions in the House of Commons, said that he had received and accepted from the Free State Government an assurance that none of the arms handed to the Government were used in the recent raid. Replying to Captain Craig, Mr. Church’ll said he believed the Free State Government desired to do all in its power to secure the release of the kidnapped persons, but the extent of its power to do so at the present time was much more doubtful. The difficulty was the so-called Irish Republican Army organisation. in Monaghan, which was incensed at the detention of certain Monaghan men, who had been committed for trial. Mr. Collins had been informed that if the imprisoned men applied for bail the Crown would not oppose the application, but the Free Staters refused to apply. The shooting and wounding of Ulster constables on Saturday had greatly aggravated the situation. The Government had strongly urged the Free State Government to arrest the offenders and prevent a repetition of the outrage.