§ 62. Mr. GINNELLasked the Prime Minister if he will, with a view to the Irish Convention, now inform the House of the terms arranged in September, 1914, between the Government and the leaders of Irish parties with reference to the partition of Ireland as a condition of placing the Government of Ireland Bill, then awaiting the Royal Assent, on the Statute Book?
§ Sir G. CAVEI am not aware to what the hon. Member refers.
§ Mr. GINNELLIs the right hon. Gentleman not aware that there was an arrangement of the kind suggested with the question in September, 1914, and will he communicate it to the House?
§ Sir G. CAVENo, Sir. I was not aware there was any such arrangement.
§ Mr. GINNELLDoes he deny that there was?
§ 63. Mr. GINNELLasked the Prime Minister whether the Government have considered the desirability of making available immediately, for the information of the Convention in Ireland, all the correspondence of the last twelve months between the American and British Governments?
§ Sir G. CAVEThe answer is in the negative.
§ 64. Mr. GINNELLasked the Prime Minister whether the Government have considered the recent Russian declaration that not one Russian soldier will be sacrificed to help England to repair historic injustices against England until England herself has repaired her own historic injustices against Ireland, India, Egypt, and innumerable peoples in all the continents; and when and in what way the Government propose to repair the first of the aforesaid historic in justices of which they are thus reminded by an Ally?
§ Sir G. CAVEI am not aware of any declaration having been made by the Russian Government in the sense indicated in the first part of the question. The second part, therefore, does not arise.
§ Mr. GINNELLHas the right hon. Gentleman not read any Russian declaration to this effect?
§ Sir G. CAVENo, Sir; I have not had that advantage.
§ 65. Mr. GINNELLasked the Prime Minister whether he has received a set of resolutions passed by the citizens of Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, including one that Ireland should be granted independence, guaranteed by the United States and the Allies; and, if so, will he inform the House what reply he has given to this?
§ Sir G. CAVEThe answer is in the negative.
§ Mr. GINNELLThen the Prime Minister has received it and refuses to disclose to the House his reply?
§ Sir G. CAVEThe answer is that he has not received any such resolutions.
§ 67. Mr. GINNELLasked the Prime Minister if the Government desired the Irish Convention to be truly representative of the Irish people, will he say why they did not adopt the constitutional method of making it so, by having all the delegates to it elected by adult suffrage; if there is no other reason than the knowledge that a Convention so elected would decide for sovereign independence, and that fact being a title to representation at the International Peace Congress, will the Allied Governments be so informed; and will the Irish people be allowed to send duly accredited representatives to convey this information to those Governments?
§ Sir G. CAVEI can add nothing to previous statements on this subject.
§ Mr. GINNELLIs the Home Secretary ft ware that a Convention called on adult suffrage, as suggested in this question, would be four-fifths Sinn Fein and would decide in favour of sovereign hide-pendence?
§ Mr. SPEAKERNobody can say what the effect would be until he tried.