An admirable letter by Lord Cave in the Times of
Tuesday presented the constitutional aspect of the Irish Bounday question with all the force of its writer's legal learning and political sincerity. Lord Cave admits that the Colonial Boundaries Act of 1895, which lays it down that the consent of a governing colony shall be required for the alteration of its boundaries, does not " in terms " apply to Northern Ireland, which is not a colony within the meaning of the Act. The principle, however, he goes on to say does not depend upon any enactment. It was laid down 150 years ago by Mansfield that the grant of a representative Constitution cannot be recalled. That ruling is obviously as much infringed by withdrawing from a State part of its territory as it would be infringed by withdrawing the Constitution, As Lord Cave says, would any reasonable Minister try to transfer an area, however small, from Newfoundland to Canada or from Victoria to New South Wales ? Mr. Lloyd George was right when he said to Mr. De Valera on July 20th, 1921, that no right of Northern Ireland could be abrogated without the consent of Northern Ireland. The only way is for Mr. Cosgrave and Sir James Craig to settle the matter between themselves. Sir James Craig has always expressed his willingness to try.
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