NEWS OF THE WEEK.
SINCE we wrote last week the centre of interest in the almost hopeless Irish problem has shifted from the pact between the Provisional Government and Mr. De Valera to the nature of the draft Constitution. Trouble succeeds trouble. The surrender of Mr. Collins to Mr. De Valera was bad enough, but the fact that the draft Constitution of the Provisional Government conflicts with the Treaty at several points is still worse. Personally, we are left without much hope. The Irishmen to whom we looked for a solution—those who accepted the Treaty apparently in good faith—are either quite incapable of managing affairs, or did not really act in good faith, or are so afraid of their opponents that they do not dare to do what they want to do. Whatever explanation the result is likely to be the same—chaos.
