NO CONCESSIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17872, 29 August 1921, Page 5

NO CONCESSIONS.

SIM FEIN REPLY.

BRITISH REJECTED. NEW FORMTLA PROPOSED. CONSENT OF GOVERNED." LLOYD GEORGE'S ANSWER.

THE UTMOST OFFERED. | Two mere letters have passed between! Mr. Lloya George and De V 3 j era) which) \ though revealing no progress towards an; L-sh settlement, stui 1-ave the avenue of; negotiation open. De Vaiera, replying to Mr. Lloyd George's letter of August 13. informed the Pr.ce Minister that the Bail Eireann. by a unanimous vot«, rejected the British Government's pronosals, but added — j " On the basis of the broad guiding prln _ I cipla of government by consent of the! governed, peace can be secured, a peac*! that win be just and honourable to all! &nd fruitful of concord and enduring! amity To negotiate such a peace the! Dail Sireann is ready to appoint representatives, and if your Government" 3c. cents Jhe principle proposed, to invest ih°m with plenarv powers to meet and arrange with you for its application." Mr. Liovd George, in answer to Dei Vaiera. states that the British Govern-; ment's pronosals are regarded as the at-! most that the Empire can offer, and further negotiations must be futile unless j some definite progress is made towards ; the accentanca of sorre basis. The Brit'sh Government can discuss no settlement which involves the refusal an the part of Ireland to free, equal and Soval partnership in the British Commonwealth under 1

one sovereign. While the British Govern- : ment is prepared to make every allowance ! as to time which will advance the cause of Deace. it cannot prolong the mere ex- 1 change of Notes. It is essential that some j definite and immediate progress should I be made toward a basis noon which fortier negotiations can usefully proceed.'* Ee concludes:—" In this and any previous letters I set forth the considerations I which must govern the attitude of the j Government. If von are prepared to ex-! amine how far these considerations can j be reconciled with th« aspirations you i rep-esent, I shall be happy to meet you I and vour colleagues." The Da.il Sireann considered Mr. Lloyd! George's I«?tteT on Saturday, and an answer to it is exnected to-day. TOTE OF BAIL EIEEANN. UNANIMOUS REJECTION. STILL WILLING TO NEGOTIATE j "WE DO XOT SEEK WAS.". By Talecracb—Fres3 Association—Cqpvrishi. A. and !" Z. LONDON. Aus. 26. Eamonn de Vaiera. in his reply to Mr. Lloyd George, said: "I laid your proposals before the Dail Eireann. which by a unanimous vote rejected them. From yonr letter of August. 13 it was clear 'that the principles we were asked to accept were that the geographical propinquity of Ireland to Britain imposed a condition of subordination of Ireland's right to | Britain's strategic interests as she con- ; csives them, and that ths very length j md persistence of the efforts made in the j past to compel Ireland's acquiescence in ' foreign dominion imposed acceptance of j that domination now. •' We cannot believe that your Govern- ; ment intends to commit itself to the prin- j ciple of sheer militarism, destructive of > international morality arid fatal to the world's peace. If a small nation's right j to independence is forfeit when a more powerful neighbour covets its territory for military or oriei- advantages it is sup- I posed to confer, there Is an end to liberty, i No longer can any small nation claim the right to a separate sovereign existence: Holland and Denmark can be made subservient to Germany. Belgium to Germany or France, and Portugal to Spain. " If nations that have been- forcibly annexed fro empires have lost thereby the title to independence, there can he no re-birth of freedom for them. In Ireland's i case, to speak of her seceding from a j partnership that she has not accepted, ; or from aa allegiance ±he has not undertaken, is fundamentally false, just as the oiairn to subordinate independence to . British strategy is fundamentally- unjust. To neither can we betray our nation's ; trust. " If our refusal is to be made the issue . of war, we deplore it. We are as conof our responsibility to the living as of our obligations to the heroic

lead- We have not- forced war, nor do we it, but if war be made upon us *« mu.4 defend onrselves, confident that : *'".fiber that defence be successful or uniurcessjui. no body representative of Irish lien i.r women will ever propose to snr"oiider the nation's birthright. We long '•• -Hid 'he conflict. If your Government oe determined to oppose its will by force, I ■ind antcedent to negotiations to insist ipon conditions involving the surrender 3f our whole national position and make negotiations a mockery, fhe responsibility For --j ntuniance of the conflict rests upon On the basis of the broad guiding principle of government by consent of the r '-"TTird, peace can be secured, a peace tJia! wi]] be just and honourable to all and fruitful of concord and enduring amity. To negotiate such * peace the Dail Eirßann is ready to appoint representatives, and. if your Government ac-f'v-i 'bp principle proposed, to invest them -v.*}) plenary power? to meet and ir-an.-t? v.;h you for its application." SINN "FEIN CABINET, j ALL ELECTED AGAIN. AtiKtmiisa and X.2. Cabie Association. OWL J..'© a.m., LONDON. Aug. 27. ] ■Ai the meeting of the Daii Eireann on ; Tlianvcay. Eartionn de Yalera waii re-' <siecl*ti president u the Irish tepublic. lim '■• aie-a. thanking the assembly, .said tiai a* . w j ] ; ta 3 boy among boys, and «tt?rreii.><rt ihs hop© tier would win a I C3.-OR: a jK.h rrs«i as near Heaven as boys *wt [jtr Vaien then read the reply | t«s tJaj. jsr:i,'-*b proposals, declaring: '" !t j * Use bedrock of the nation's existence, j '■ pom ijjtTU r . |i we mean to stand.' SGtfcaH (""Jims* proposition to raise ; a '-"am ■ 00.0jQ.000 in the United State* *>*i £T»;;..000 is beland « carried. Ail , CitfictM-!;; : q i abbust *«'« rw-tiwtc-d. '"uwiess BfeaM««ries has betas i pointed >o tb* portibfio of La*«rt« #* the j :