NO SELF-DETERMINATION

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 78, 1 April 1920, Page 8

NO SELF-DETERMINATION

ULSTER'S PROMISE OF AID

(Received April 1, 3 p.m.)

LONDON, 30th March,

Sir Edward Carson said that if anyone who could speak for South Ireland and W-est Ireland appealed to him to do his best to start to govern in good-tem-pered manner under the new Irish Parliaments he would most ' heartily agree, and would anticipate the speediest union in one Parliament. He promised that Ulster would do her level best with her Parliament.

Mr. Lloyd George declared thai the debate clearly demonstrated that the Government's plan held, the fielcl. Undoubtedly the majority of Irishmenwanted, independence and an Irish Republic. It was useless to talk of selfdetermination. Supporters of that policy must go the full length of granting the Irish a Republic. Every part of the country, which had been acting together for a century,. was entitled to say it meant to establish a separate Republic. He asked the. leader of the Labourites if he favoured the application of the principle of self-determination to Ireland.

Mr. 1 Clynes, after hesitation, said, not as' Mr. Lloyd George defined it. Mr. Lloyd George said that meant that the Labour Party opposed any Irish demand for a Republic. He expressed his gratification at this, but told the Labourites they should not mislead the Irish electorate. . ■

Mr. Lloyd George asserted that no section of Ireland would accept Mr. Asquith's plan, as no party in Britain would accept the proposal favoured by the majority of the Irish opinion. The British; Government,' with its responsibility to the whole Empire, mutt oxercise its wisest considered judgment. He Tefuted Mr. Devlin's criticism of the Irish Parliament's restricted Ipowers. If Scotland and Wales were offered a similar measure they would gratefully accept it. Certain powers like Customs control might be conferred on Iceland if it settled down and accepted the union, but at present it would be placing a dangerous weapon in the hands of. infuriated people. He concluded by expressing the sanguine belief th<tt the B^l would lead to union, though not within one to three years.