Western Star WALLACE COUNTY GAZETTE. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1933. THE TWO IRELANDS.

Western Star, 8 December 1933, Page 2

Western Star WALLACE COUNTY GAZETTE. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1933. THE TWO IRELANDS.

A republic within five years' has been declared by Mr Do Valera to be. his objective for Ireland. His party, he stated last month, regards itself as pledged to that consummation, and "any section of the community daring to cross our path must do so over our dead bodies." There will be no dead bodies, unless there is to be another civil war in Ireland. All the 'indications-.-are that the British Government will not lift one linger to prevent a republic being established. There will be a-price to pay for the change of status, but it will not be a price fixed by the British Government. It will be part of the natural and immutable order of things? Mr De Valcra may have his republic if a majority of Free State electors does not think tho •price too dear, but two inconveniences of it are inevitable. In the first place,', it cannot possibly be a republic for the whole of Ireland; the majority in Ulster which prefers the Empire will sec to that. In the second place, as Mr Thomas, Secretary of State for the Dominions, took tho trouble to make clear in his speech in the House of Commons of six weeks i}M,'->, {'ir Irish Free State cannot enjoy tho at* v.i MVAipt of being in the Empire with the freedom irou; responsibility of Wwg out of it. 'Ey.en'Mf Valera, whose desire has always been for ,ha.ving it both ways, should be beginning now to realise these two points. The Ulster elections, which have been absorbing his attention, should have convinowif h;m of the first. Mr De Valera chose to stand a# 0. candidate for South Down as 'a test., of .<*>"* tho partition rf Ireland. His constituency,

was chosen with soma care, and to was elected, showings—what was known before—that in some border districts of Ulster there is a fair proportion of people who would prefer to .be tho other side of the border. But tho main lesson of the elections was that more than** two-thirds of the electors of Northern Ireland voted for return of the Government whose strongest principle has been that of loyalty to the Empire. They did this despite the direct and very dramatic invitation given them, by Mr De* Valera to do the contrary. A Free State republic, therefore, threatens the strongest barrier that; could ,be raised to its Premier's deep desire of a united Ir« land; and already, by acts that ?om* short of its :. establishment, the /Republicans have done more to delay that great development and to make it impossible of fulfilment within any reasonable period than could have been done in any other way. • As to other disadvantages of the partial republic, Mr Thomas described those generally in his speech of last month, and it is probable that he will be more precise in his next speech. At a heavy cost to themselves, Mr De Valera basiled his people to embark'on courses very different from those which a majority of them accepted when the treaty was signed in 1921. It is likely to be shown sotm just how far they are prepared to follow him.