THE FREE STATE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16922, 22 December 1922, Page 9

THE FREE STATE.

GOVERNMENT DETERMINED tty Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, December 20. Mr IV. T. Oosgrave, President of the Counrii of the Irish Free State, in an article in the “Daily Express’* says: “ A small armed faction, with the moral backing of less than two per cent of the population, deny the right of the Irish people to accept equal status with other members in the Commonwealth of frae nations, and are now trying to produce chaos by pillage, arson and assossination. De Valera and his supporters say the people have no right to do wrong. They are abrogat-

ing lo themselves the right of deciding what is wrong. For months we strove for peace, hut our opponents were only emboldened by our restraint/* After giving in derail the Irregulars’ crimes in recent months, Mr Cosgrave concludes: “It is vital to the existence of the nation that the Government and Army Council shall show, in a plain and drastic way. that they arc- determined to safeguard the people’s Parliamentary representative®. The Irregulars’ leaders have been shot, not in a spirit of vindictiveness, not ill hot blood, or even in anger, but ns part of a definite policy of counter action. The position in Ireland may seem dark, but the clouds are breaking. Tbe Free State is firmly established.” ANOTHER OUTRAGE. LONDON. December 20. James Dwyer, an ex-member of the Dail, was shot dead while serving a customer in his provision shop m Dublin. Two men entered, the shop and j:-*ked if he was Dwyer. Directly the answer was given, one of the men drew a revolver and shot Dwyer through the heart. The assassins escaped through streets that were crowded with Christinas shoppers.