Like the Slovaks?

Ulster*--which became officially Northern Ireland when the rest of the island became the Irish Free State, now Eire--was recently shocked: from London came reports that Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had agreed to discuss with Prime Minister Eamon de Valera whether the people of Ulster should now decide by plebiscite whether to remain part of the United Kingdom or join Eire. Last week Ulster was flabbergasted when tall, teacher-ish Eamon de Valera suddenly announced at Dublin that his demands go much beyond a plebiscite.

In the event of a European war, said Mr. de Valera to a representative of the London Evening Standard, "no Irish leader will ever be able to get the Irish people to cooperate with Britain while partition [of Ulster from Eire] remains, I would not attempt it myself. The present partition of Ireland is a dangerous anachronism which must be ended."

In short, the United Kingdom, blackmailed from Dublin, "must" simply hand over Ulster to Eire, according to Eamon de Valera, who last week made not the slightest attempt to spare British feelings. The Prime Minister of Eire, however, did seek to soothe Ulstermen over the head of its Prime Minister, Lord Craigavon of Northern Ireland.

"Keep your local parliament, with its local powers, if you wish," Eamon de Valera told Ulster. "The Government of Eire is willing to forego the ideal solution of having one parliament only. We are willing for Northern Ireland to have its own local legislature in Belfast--providing Northern Ireland representatives enter an All-Ireland Parliament at Dublin."

This would give Ulstermen approximately the status in Eire now enjoyed in Czechoslovakia by the Slovaks, who recently were granted their own premier and legislature within the framework of the Republic. Obviously Prime Minister de Valera was thinking in Czechoslovak terms last week. He has seen straight negotiation swiftly effect in Czechoslovakia certain changes which once were to have been decided by plebiscites.

While Prime Minister de Valera talked, Prime Minister Lord Craigavon and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain kept mum. The first bigwig Prime Minister Eamon de Valera heard from--two days after making his demands--was President Roosevelt. Mr. John Cudahy, the U. S. Minister to Eire, merely dropped around in Dublin to present an official White House invitation to Prime Minister de Valera to visit the U. S. next spring. Since King George and Queen Elizabeth have not yet made clear whether they will extend their visit to Canada next spring to include the U. S., the White House invitation at Dublin created a stir among courtiers at Buckingham Palace.

The sprightly Irish Marquess of Donegall, who writes a London gossip column, this week vouched that Prime Minister Lord Craigavon had told him: "We have learned in Northern Ireland to place no value whatever in Mr. de Valera's promises or guarantees. They are valueless in Ulster. We in Ulster feel it is time to put an end to Mr. de Valera's activities. . . . Under no circumstances whatever will we listen to the rattling of the sabre or, for that matter, to the cooing of the dove where the integrity of Ulster is concerned. . . . Any attempt to meet Mr. de Valera's manifesto would lead to civil war."

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