The Dominion. MONDAY. DECEMBER 6, 1920. A TRUCE IN IRELAND

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 61, 6 December 1920, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY. DECEMBER 6, 1920. A TRUCE IN IRELAND

Prospects of a Christmas truce in Ireland with a- view to a settlement by conciliation are brightened by tho Archbishop .ok Dublin's state-

ment) (to members of the British Labour Commission) that any effort towards the cessation of violence and other provocative acts would receive the aupport of the lloma-n Catholic Hierarchy. AIR.. R-

Sweetman, the Sinn Fein M.P. with .whom the proposal for a Christmas truce and conference originated, presumably has some grounds for believing ■ that Irish secular organisations of representative standing will fall in with the idea. .With the influence of the Eoman Catholic Hierarchy thrown into the same scale some real hopes are raised of an effective move towards the re-establishment of peace in Ireland.' Any effort that is

made on these lines will bo very heartily welcomcd'and applauded m the ovorsea Dominions. In the Dominions people of all British races are appalled ab the _dccds which aro being recorded day' by day m Ireland, and wholeheartedly desire a settlement in which every fair and reasonable concession would be made to the Irish people. So long as the campaign of muyder and reprisal continues, the Dominions aro condemned to be helpless spectators of a conflict which their own political experience demonstrates to be as unnecessary as it is unnatural. Evon with the list of murders and outrages daily extending,, there are some signs that the truce now proposed is a practical possibility. .Recent developments more orlcss definitely substantiate the claim made by Sir Hamar Greenwood in a speech at Belfast in mid-October. He said on that occasion that the British Government was faced today,, not s6 much with the Sinn Fein movement as with the innor circle of that movement, the inner circle of men who ' believed they i could intimidate' the Irish Government and the British Government and get the support of the civilised world by 'a policy of assassination. The distinction here drawn is presumably, just. It can hardly be doubted that a large proportion of the people in all parts of Ireland desire the restoration, of pcaee and security, and would gladly welcome a truce. The danger is that a minority of irreconcilables'by persisting in their present tactics, may preclude any attempt at peaceful settlement. Nothing will do more to remove this danger than fen emphatic expression of Irish opinion in favour of substituting methods of conciliation for the terrible conflict that is still iii progress Tho lead now given, in this direction is of good promise, andif explicit overtures result these certainly-' ought to be met moro than halfway by the- British Government. The embittered controversy,., into which, some British politicians entered over the Irish question to pointless and futile. It is the j plain duty of members of all parties to co-operate in giving full effect to the Government's declared policy of giving the people of Ireland everything to which they arc in reason and justice- entitled—in effect, practically everything but the right to oppress Ulster and the 'right to form an Irish Republic. This policy, it has been made clear, is not finally ■ and -irrevocably expressed in the Home Rule Bill which is now before the House of Lords. In the speech already quoted, Sir Hamar Greenwood stated and emphasised the actual position.

We are prepared (ho said) to eniargo the Home Rule Bill in the most generous* way possible, to make n. complete and final settlement of what Is known' as

the Irish question, and what is really an Imperial question. The Government is prepared to %o further on the financial side in meeting tho wishes of the people of Ireland.

The financial provisions of the Homo Rule Bill have since been amended and .libevaliscd, and-' in addition tho Government is preparing a Bill which will round off the liberal land "legislation already in force in Ireland. The action taken by tho House of Lords a few days ago in amending the Home Rule Rill to provide for the "creation of Second Chambers in both North and South Ireland may be unpopular, but if the truce now under discussion is secured such details will

hardly be allowed to stand in the . way of a full settlement of the Irish question. With peace and order restored in Ireland, th«_ determination of acceptable conditions of selfgovernment within the Empire would be placed on a new footing. I'be Irish people would voice their own demands, and assuredly would not lack support, either in the, United Kingdom or in the overseas Empire, in resisting unreasonable conditions or restrictions. The one essential achievement on which all else hinges is to substitute peaceful* negotiations for violence and terrorism. From that fact the Christ mas truce proposal derives its hopeful possibilities.