NOT FREE STATE.

Grey River Argus, 28 June 1922, Page 5

NOT FREE STATE.

COERCION OF IRELAND. STILL THE ENGLISH POLICY. (Received June 27, 7.55 p.m.) LONDON, June 26. Mr Winston Churchill (Colonial Seeretarv) speaking in the House of Commons, said the Imperial Government has applied the Ulster Government with fifty thousand stand of arms. He said the situation on the Ulster frontier is much easier. A triple arrangement has been made between Britain and the Provisional Government, and Ulster, whereby a neutral zone five miles wide would be established in the Pettigo-Belleek district. CHANGE OF POLICY. Mr Churchill, in reply to a question, arid ho “certainly did not consider we ought indefinitely to continue to regard with indiffcren _e the progressive degeneration into anarchy throughout Ireland.” He had certainly fixed, hi his own mind, his definite tests of cir cumstaneo and time which would deter mine the moment for change of policy. PROGROMS BLAMED ON DE VALERA. Mr Churchill said in the House of Commons that when the British Government signed the Treaty with the Irish signatories, it had every reason to believe that the 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 has all the time been to obtain free expression without creating partizanship by British interference. Ho asserted that everything was done by Mr de Valera to weaken or discredit the Provisional Government, and to embroil Southern Ireland with Ulster. He (Churchill) had no hesitation in saying that the horrors which have taken place in Belfast were due to an organisation of two divisions of I.R.A. in Northern territory and continuous efforts by extreme partisans in the south to break down the Northern Government and force Ulster under home rule of Dublin. Mr Churchill declared the Northern Government would be supported effectively, and at all costs, if any attempt were made to coerce it into submission to the South. KICKING THE PRICKS! He added that Sinn Fein had to realise it could never win Ulster, except by the latter’s own free will, and “the more the Sinn Feiners kicked against the pricks, the worse it would be for them! ’’ Mr Chamberlain, in the House of Commons, referring to officers kidnrpped at Macroom, said he believed them to be dead. He said: “It was for the i Provisional Government to trace and punish criminals. The Imperial Government would act if the Provisional Government did not.” BONAR LAW TALKS WAR. Mr Bonar Law, referring to Mr Churchill’s statement, said that he refused to preach the doctrine that the whole of the Government*s Irish policy was wrong. No one wanted the Government to go back upon the Irish Treaty, but personally he was very anxious about the situation. He doubted whether the Government was dealing in the right way with it. He understood the English Government meant to govern, but it h d not done so. There was no murder in Ulster, he asserted, until those dissatisfied with the Treaty began outrages. The occupa tion of the Four Courts in Dublin by the I.R.A. was intolerable, as the occupants were planning outrages there. Britain must tell the Provisional Government this -must cease, or there would be war. CHURCHILL’S ADVICE TO •> IRELAND. GOVERN WITH MAILED FIST. (Rec. June 27, 8.25 p.m.) LONDON, June 26. Mr Churchill, in his Irish statement, said tho Imperial Government would • endeavour to stand between the antagonists and prevent the loss of life or the destruction of property. It had been made absolutely clear that any attempt to break into Ulster’s territory would be met and repulsed by Imperial power. He said that having regard to the fact that there has been no assassination of prominent men in England for generations, and that, even in the height of Irish struggle, no attempt has been made on the lives of public persons in this country, it was monstrous to make this recent tragic event the ground for an attack upon the police authorities or the Home Secretary (Mr Shortt). Mr Churchill said that now that the Northern Government of Ulster had been greatly strengthened in force by Britain, it became that Government’s duty to prevent the unlawful reprisals, however, great the provocation, and he was sure the Northern Government would resolutely discharge this duty. Now that the Irish elections were over, ho added, there was no excuse for the Provisional Government failing in its duty in a cordance with the letter and spirit of the treaty, and, in view of wishes clearly expressed by Irish people, they could not continue to tolerate the manjr gross lapses from the treaty and improprieties or irregularities in its execution which they had put up with or acquiesced in during the last six mon ths. ENGLAND READY TO ABROGATE TREATY, Mr Churchill asserted that the occupation of the Four Courts in Dublin,

by the Ira was an affront “From this nest of anarchy and treason, he declared. 4 ‘murderous outrages were stimulaI ted and encouraged. There will be a i request to the Irish Government to end ; this. If it does not do so, the ial Government will regard the Irish s Treaty as formally violated, and will I take the necessary action to safeguard I rights and interests. ’ ’ Sir Frederick Banbury (Tory) moved i a reduction in the sjilary of the Chief I Secretary for I reland (Hamer Greenwood) as a vote of censure on the Government’s Irish Policy. Colonel Gretton (another “die hard” L’nionist) asked wuat the Government intended to do to relieve people from terrorism by gunmen. BLOWN OUT Sir \ Ca n bury’s motion was defeated by >4? votes to 75, J