NO COERCION TO BE TOLERATED

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 233, 28 June 1922, Page 5

NO COERCION TO BE TOLERATED

EFFECTIVE SUPPORT FOR ULSTER IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT’S INTENTIONS “THE TREATY WILL BE JUSTIFIED” The promised Ministerial statement on the situation in Ireland has been made in the House of Com- ' mons by Mr. Winstoi/churchill. He declared that the Northern Government would be supported effectively and at all costs if any attempt were made to coerce it into submission to the South. The Imperial Government could no longer tolerate gross lapses from the Treaty, and if there were a continuance of murderous outrages they would regard the Treaty as formally violated, and take necessary action to safeguard rights and interests. In closing the debate which followed the Minister’s statement, Mr, Lloyd George declared “the Treaty will be justified whatever befalls.” A vote of cetnsure on the Government was defeated by a large BY T3UIOBAPH—PRESS AIBOCIATIOH. (Rec. May 27 , 7.50 p.m.) London, June 26. Mr. Winston Churchill, speaking in the House of Commons, said that when tha Government signed the Treaty with the Irish signatories it had every reason to believe that these signatories represented the settled views of the vast’ majority “’of the Dail Eireann and the united authority of the Sinn Fein Cabinet. The Imperial Government’s policy all the time had been to obtain a free expression of o pinion without creating partisanship by British interference. Everything had been done, by Mr. de Valera to weaken and discredit the Provisional Government and to embroil Southern Ireland with Ulster. ' i The Minister had no hesitation in saying that the horrors which had taken place in Belfast were due to the organisation of the two divisions of the IriSh Republican Army in the Northern territory, and the continuous efforts by extreme partisans in the South to break down the Northern Government and force Ulster under the Home Rule of Dublin. Mr. Churchill declared that the Northern Governntont would be supported effectively and at all costs if any attempt were made to coerce it into submission to the South. The Imperial' Government had supplied the Ulster Government with 50,000 stands or arms. The situation on the Ulster frontier was much easier. A triple arrangement had been made between Britain, the Provisional Government,, and Ulster, whereby a neutral zone five miles wide would be established in the Pettigo-Belleek district. Sinn Foin had to realise that it could never win Ulster except by the latter’s own free , will, and the more the Sinn Feiners kicked against the pricks the worst it would be ,for them. .The Imperial Government would endeavour to stand between the antagonists and prevent loss of life iatid destruction of property. It had'been made absolutely clear that any attempt to break into Ulster’s territory would be met and repulsed by the Imperial power. Having regard to the fact that there had been no assassination of a prominent man. in England for genera tions, and that even in the height of the Irish struggle no attoinpt had been made on the lives of public persons in this country, said the Minister, it was monstrous to make the recent tragic event a ground for attack upon the police authorities or the Homo .Secretary. Now that the Northern Government had been greatly strengthened, it became that Government’s duty to prevent unlawful reprisals, however great the provocation, and he was sure that the Northern Government would resolutely discharge this duty. WARNING TO PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT Now that the elections were over, there was no excuse for the Provisional Government failing in its duty in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Treaty, and in view of the wishes clearly expressed by the Irish people, we could not continue to tolerate the many gross lapses from the Treaty, and the improprieties and irregularities in its execution which we had had to put up with or had acquiesced in during the last six months. The occupation of Four Courts in Dublin by the Irish Republican Army was nn affront, and from this nest of anarchy and treason murderous outrages were stimulated and encouraged. There would, Mr. Churchill declared, he a request to the Irish Government to end this. If it did not do so, the Imperial Government would regard the Treaty as formally violated, and take the necessary action to safeguard rights and interests. ( Sir Frederick Banbury moved a reduction in the salary of the Chief Secretary for Ireland as a vote of censure on the Government’s Irish policy. Colonel Gretton asked what the Government intended to do to relieve the people from terrorism by gunmen.' Mr. Churchill, in reply, said: “I certainly do not consider that we ought indefinitely to continue to regard with indifference, the progressive degeneration into anarchy throughout Ireland.” He had certainly fixed in his own mind definite tests of circumstance and time which would determine the moment for a change of policy. MR. BONAR LAW VERY ANXIOUS ABOUT SITUATION' Mr. Bonar Law said that he refused to preach the. doctrine that the whole of the Government’s Irish policy was wrong. No one wanted the Goverpment to go back upon the Irish Treaty, but personally he was very anxious about the situation. Ho doubted whether the Government was dealing in the right way with it. Ho understood that the’ Government meant to govern, but it-had not done so. There was no murder in Ulster until those dissatisfied with the Treaty began outrages. The occupation of Four Courts in Dublin was intolerable, as the occupants were planning outrages there. Britain must tell the Provisional Government that this must cease, or there would be war. The Homo Secretary (Mr. E. Shortt) defended the Secret Service, which he declared was more efficient than it was a year ago. The Secret Service advised that robberies of arms and incendiarism might bp effected, but it was hoped that the capture of a gang which had been caught would end this. ’Hie Government had been advised that there would be no organised murder in Britain. Ho warmly repudiated a charge that he had ignored information that Sir Henry Wilson was endangered, and said that the Home Office had received no such information. Mr. Austen Chamberlain, referring to the officers who were kidnapped nt Macroom, and who were believed to be dead, said that it was for the Provisional Government to trace and punish the criminals, but the Imperial Government would act if the Provisional Government did not. DECLARATION BY THE PRIME MINISTER Mr. Lloyd George, in closing the debate, paid a warm tribute to Sir Henry Wilson’s courage, devotion, imagination, and resource. The Premier declared: “The Treaty will be justified whatever befalls. If reconquest becomes necessary, Britain will have advantages which she did not possess when Hie Treaty began. But it is essential that the seizure of Four Courts should be ended quickly.” He said that a communication had been seht to the Southern Irish Government on the subject, and a serious situation would arise if that Government failed to carry out its duty; but he would rather say no more, as there must be developments in a short time. Sir Frederick Banbury’s motion was defeated by 342 votes to 75.—Aus.‘N.Z. Cable Assn.

PREPARED FOR TERRORISM POLICE ACTIVITY IN ENGLAND (Rec. Juno 27, 9.40 p.m.) London, June! 26. The police have made vigorous preparations to counter a possible campaign of Sinn Fein terrorism in Britain. Scotland Yard’s flying Squadron, which was actively searching for arms to-day, found an incendiary bomb in a house at Fulham, and arrested a man there. vl strange outbreak of incendiarism occurred in Surrey and Essex, resembling tho incendiary outrages in Surrey last year, which were traced to Sinn Fein. ' There were fires every

night last week, beginning at Romford, where haystacks and sheds were burned. The damage done lost night alone is estimated at over £2OOO. • Tlie police ore mostly armed now, and arc patrolling the district with motor-cars and bicycles.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. • CARTRIDGES FOR IRELAND London, June 26. Customs officers boarded the steamer Foynes, lying in the Thames, , and found a box containing 600 cartridges. Prendergast, one of the ship’s stewards, who lives in Limerick and who admitted that ho had bought the ammunition. for friends in Ireland for selfdefence, was fined £lOO, with the alternative of two months’ imprison-ment.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.