IRISH CRISIS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 June 1922, Page 2

IRISH CRISIS.

PRESS COAIMENTS. (United Service) / LONDON, June 4. The “Observer” says: The Irish Treaty has proved a recipe for chaos and ruin. Every hope kindled thereby has been turned into ashes. Between the stark fanaticism of the anti’s and the utter moral weakness of most of those who are nominally for the treaty, as fair a chance as ever opened before the nation has been thrown away. The signatories have joined their opponents to propose a constitution which is Separatist and Republican in everything but name. The civic liberty of the Irish people has been suppressed by a bargain between the two factions, each without a shred of real representative authority to nominate a packed Parliament on the basis of elections made to order. On that basis there can be no valid ratification of the treaty, which must , cease to exist. The “Sunday Times” states: It is now clear that the compact which Air Collins made with de Valera was a surrender at discretion. The Republicans come in on their own terms of an indefinite delay in taking .the sense of the country on the treaty, and re-drafting of the constitution in such ways as to render the treaty nugatory by assertion of complete independence. Obviously, the most formidable consequences are entailed, by Air Churchill’s declaration of British policy, but neither the Government nor the country will shirk these. The people will never tolerate a separate Irish Republic. The forcible assertion of de Valeras claim would precipitate a war which would not end till the military re-conquest of .the secessionist provinces was complete. ?