IRISH AFFAIRS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17629, 5 December 1922, Page 7

IRISH AFFAIRS.

ULSTER AND THE FREE STATE. STATEMENT BY SIS JAMES CRAIG. p a^; e Press Association—Copyrij't.) U strahan and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received December 4th, 7.35 p.m.) LONDON, Decern tor 4. Sir James Craig, Premier of Ulster, speaking at Londonderry, announced that t.'ie. Ulster Government would not participate in the Boundary Commission. He. would not accept the grave proposal to transfer large bodies who had made many sacrifices to territory abhorrent to them. He bslieved the difficulty could be overcome by agreement.

lhe Northern Parliament meets on Thursday. The Nationalists are not expected to attend, in which case the coutraoting-out of Ulster will be carried unanimously.

Ih-e Ulster Parliament- is to re-as-semblc immediately the British Parliar ment passes tho Free State Constitution Bill, in order to contract out of thy Free State. The Irish Free State agreement provides that, until the expiration of:one month from the passing of the Act of Parliament rati lying the agreement, the powers of tho Parliament and the Government of the Irish Fixe State shall not be exercisable as respects Northern Ireland, and the provisions of the Government of Ireland Act, 1020. shall, so far a a they relate to Northern Ireland, remain of full fore® and effect. If Wore the expiration of the said month' an address is presented to the King by both Houses of Parliament of Northern Ireland to that effect, the powers of the Parliament find Government of the Irish Free State shall no longer extend to Northern Ireland, and the provisions of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, shall, so far as they relate to Northern Ireland, continue to be of full force and effect, and the Free State Treaty shall have effect subject to the necessary modifications. In the event of Ulster contracting out of the Free State a Commission is to be appointed to determine the boundaries between Northern Ireland and the rest of Ireland. In a statement in the Ulster House of Conimons on October 12th, Sir James Craig, replying to a question, recalled that the Treaty providing for eetting up the Free State was signed on December 6th last. The articles of tho Treaty were given the force of law as from March 31st, that being the date of the passing by the British Parliament of the Irish Free State Agreement Art, 1922. Words had been inserted in the Act which made it clear that the month did not date from the passing of the Agreement Act; the month ran from tho passing of some future Act, and it did not seem to be open to doubt tliat it would run from the date of the Act of the United Kingdom Parliament, which would, in effect, finally ratify the Treaty by confirming the Constitution of the Irish Free State. The Westminster Bill must receive the Royal Assent early in December. In view of tho agreement expressed in the last article of the draft Constitution ofi the Irish Free State, the Ulster month would begin to run from a date subsequent to the reassembly of Parliament at Westminster, but, in any event, not later than December 6th next.

In answer to another question as to whether he had seen the statement made by Mr Coegrave, the Irish Free State President, that no interference would be permitted with "the clause in the Treaty dealing with the setting up of a Boundary Commission in accordance with the articles which set forth what should be done in the event of the North "hopping out." Sir James Craig replied that his hon. friend must bear in mind that neither the Northern Government not its Parliament were any party whatever to the Treaty, which had been entered into between Great Britain and certain representatives of Southern Ireland.

REBEL ACTIVITIES. BOBBERY UNDER ARMS. (Received December 4th, 7.35 p.m.) LONDON. December 4. One hundred rebels held up the town of Tuam, in County Galway, for an hour. They raided shops and searched Free State soldiers and policemen, taking the latters' leggings.

Armed men attacked and robbed individual residences in many parts of the country.

An official message from Dublin states that Free State guards captured fortyfive armed irregulars in various parts of . County Kerry. There were extraordinary scenes in the vicinity of Glenfare Hall, once occupied by Sir Edward Harland, the Belfast shipbuilder, in Leitrim. Hundreds of people brought vehicles and stole everything movable inside and outside, including furniture left by tho owners. The steward was powerless to stop it." LIAM LYNCH'S THREAT. (Received December 4th, 11.5 p.m.) LONDON, December 4.

Liam Lynch, chief of staff of the Republican Army, has written to the Speaker of the Provisional Parliament reiterating de Valera's previous declaration that every member of tho Provisional Parliament who voted for the establishment of the Military Court is responsible for its actions. He alleges that "the prisoners you have taken and treated barbarously when helpless have been tortured, wounded, and murdered. We have definite proof that many of your senior officers, including Parliamentarians, are guilty of the most brutal crimes towards prisoners. Therefore I warn you, if your army does not recognise the rules of warfare in future, we will adopt drastic measures." ' DE VALERA'S NEW PLAN. LONDON, December 3. De Valera, in a letter to the "Manchester' Guardian," suggests the taking of a plebiscite in Ireland on the issue of a republic or Free State. He promises that the Republicans will accept the decision if Britain will do so. plot against the datl. (Received December Sh, 7.35 p.m.) LONDON, December 4. Jt>nhlin is comparatively_peaceful,

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.'.hough the arrest of an individual carrying important documents suggests that the rebels have not abandoned their plot to kidnap members of the Dail, many of whom have entered the Government camp behind barbed wire, in which a temporary chapel, with a priest, provides for the needs of the religiously-minded, thus ensuring the quorum necessary to vote the Free State into existence.

CHILDERS AND ENGLAND. REMARKABLE LAST LETTERS. (United Service.) LONDON, December 3. The Dublin correspondent of the "Daily Mail" says the last letters of Erskine Childers to his wife the night before he expected to be executed are remarkable human documents. He wrote: —"Will the nation soon understand and reverence what actuates our comrades in the cause! I feel it will. If only I could die knowing my death may somehow save the lives of others and arrest the policy of executions. I hope one day that my good name will be cleared in England. I felt what Mr Churchill said about my hatred and malice against England. How well we know that that was untrue. What line I ever wrote or spoke justifies that charge? I die loving England passionately, praying to see that she may change completely towards Ireland."

A few hours later Childers wrote: "The execution is postponed. It may be only for a day, when I would far rather it came at once, if it is to come." In a final letter, written early on the day of his execution, Childers said:—"My beloved country, Godsend you courage, victory, and rest, and to all our people harmony and love. You would be pleased to see how imperturbably normal and trr. - ' :il I have been this night, and am sti;i. All seems perfectly Bimple and inevitable, like lying down after a long day's work."