The action taken by the British Government may reasonably be
criticized as precipitate. The Dail resumed its sittings on Tuesday, and the question of arbi- tration was then discussed as a quite probable contin- gency, though the difficulty about the constitution of the tribunal still remains. Arbitration, and arbitration resorted to freely without menace or coercion, is the one satisfactory way out of the present difficulty, and though Commonwealth arbitration might well have been accepted by Mr. de Valera long ago, just as the addition of one or two foreign members to the tribunal might have been accepted by the British Government, there is no visible reason why the workings of common sense should not have been given an opportunity for a week or two longer. The Oath question, the annuities question and the con- troversy with the Governor-General all reveal Mr. de Valera as anxious to break the connection with the British Commonwealth, but not venturing to go quite so far yet. There is no ground for believing that the majority of his countrymen share his views, but such action as the British Cabinet is now taking is precisely calculated to make bad blood between the two nations and rally to Mr. de Valera supporters who do not fundamentally approve his policy. Economic war between the two countries will be disastrous in varying degree to both.
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