DAIL EIREANN UNANIMOUS

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 50, 27 August 1921, Page 5

DAIL EIREANN UNANIMOUS

TEXT OF DE VALERA'S LETTER

DEPLORES WAR, BUT READY

'FOR IT.

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPYRIGHT.)

(AUSTRALIAN - NEW ZIALAND CAJLI ASSOCIATION.)

(Received August 27, 11 a.m.)

LONDON, 26th August.

Official: The Dail Eireann has unanimously, rejected the terms of the British offer. .

Mr. de Varera, in> his reply to Mr. Lloyd George, said:

I laid your proposals before the Dail Eirearin, which, by unanimous vote, .rejected them.

From your letter oi 13th August, it was 'clear that-the Vl principle we were asked to accept was that the geographical propinquity of Irelajid to Britain imposed the condition' of tire subordination of Ireland's right to Britain's strategic interests as she oonceives them,, and tihat the very length and persistence of the efforts made in the past to compel the acquiescence of Ireland in foreign dominion imposed th© acceptance, of that domination now

We cannot believe that your Government intended bq> commit itself to the principle of sheer militarism, destructive of international morality and fatal to the world's peace. If a small nation's right to independence is forfeit when a more powerful neighbour'covets its territory for the military or other advantages A is supposed to confer, there is an end to liberty. No longer can any small nation claim right to a separate sovereign existence. Holland and Denmark can be made subservient to Germany, Belgium to Germany or France, Portugal to Spain,,.

-If nations that have been forcibly annexed to Empires lose thereby their title to independence, there can /be no rebirth of freedom for them. In Ireland's case, to speak of. her seceding from a partnership that she has** not accepted, or from allegijmce that she has not -undertaken, is fundamentally false, just as the claim to subordinate her independence to British strategy is fundamentally unjust. To neither can we betray oar nation and our; trust.

If our refusal is to be made the issue of war, we deplore it. We are as conscious of our responsibility to the living as of our obligations to the heroic'dead.

: We have not forgotten war, nor do we'seek it; but, if war is made ,upon us, we must defend ourselves, confident, whether our defence is successful or unsuccessful, that nobody representative of Irish men or. women, will ever propose to surrender the nation's birthright. We long-to end the conflict. If your Government be determined to impose \its will by force, and, antecedent *to negotiation, insist upon conditions involving the surrender of our whole' national position, and make negotiation a mockery, responsibility for the continuance of the conflict rests upon you. ■ / On the basis of the broad guiding principle of government by the consent of the governed,; peace caa be' secured, a peace that: will be just and honourable to all/ and fruitful of concord and enduring amity. To negotiate encli a peace the Dail ■ Eireann is ready to appoint represen- "* tatives, and if v your Government accepts "the principle, proposes to invest them with plenary powers to meet and arrange with you for its application in detail.