1 HOUSE OF COMMONS July 17.1916. Dear Mr. Martin, I am very greatly obliged for your letter &
the enclosures. I greatly appreciate the
resolution which notwithstanding
Major Somerset Saunderson's letter the Monaghan delegates have
passed on the 13th .July,. Noone
has suffered more than I have from the
knowledge that it was impossible to include
the 3 counties in the proposed settlement &
I know well how deeply disappointed all
our friends in those 3 counties must
necessarily have been & I therefore value I all the
more appreciate the resolution referred
to. Will you thank the others for me
& say how deeply impressed I am by
their expression of confidence in myself. As regards Major Saunderson's letter it is
I fear a tissue of misapprehension from
beginning to end. He makes no reference to
the statement made by the Prime Minister on
behalf of all his collegues in the Cabinet on 2 the 25thMay which expressed the unconscious
desire for that a settlement of the future Government
of Ireland should be arranged as a matter of Imperial & refer to the Imperial Emergency
which had arise arisen. Nor does he
refer to the fact that the Home Rule Act,
comprising the whole of Ireland been
is now upon the Statute book, and that
no member of the Cabinet
so far as I know has stated that it is any longer the possible
policy of for the Unionist party to try and have
it repealed._ [Major Saunderson is also
under a misapprehension when he states that
I told the delegates at Belfast that
the particular proposals had the unanimous
assent of the Cabinet. The statement I
made, — which is borne out by the shorthand
note, which is now before me, and by the resolution
which was passed ,— was that the Cabinet
desired a settlement, and had unanimously appointed
Lloyd George to
negotiate one, and that the terms I put 3 forward were those submitted to me by
Mr.Lloyd George after communication with
the Prime Minister — Major Saunderson in his letter says that
"five Unionist members of the Government are
opposed to the settlement", — but as to this I can only
say that no member of the Government has
suggested to me thatat any time that I
should resubmit the proposals to the Ulster
Unionist Council. and Had they done so
I should certainly have considered the
matter See back & How little any part of Ulster
could expect from a settlement after the
war is shown by the fact that the Irish
Unionist Alliance, with whose deputation
Major Saunderson was joined — have passed
a resolution deprecating the leaving
out of the six counties. Major Saunderson
had every opportunity of stating his views
— as I encouraged him to do — to the
meeting of the Council in Belfast and I
fully resent his attempt to create
a feeling that I have been 4 Moreover, the statement of Lord Selbourne
— the only Minister who has definitely dissented
from the proposals — that the Home Rule must Act
cannot be repealed, shows how little is to be
expected from gained by any rejection of
the suggested settlement. After making every allowance for Major Saunderson's
the Soreness which Major Saunderson as a Cavan
delegate evidently feels, I must say that I
resent his attempt to create the impression
that I have been deceived, or that the Ulster Council
was misled in coming to the conclusion contained
in their resolution — an impression which is in
no way confirmed, as Major Saunderson seems
to suppose, by the Statements of Lord Lansdowne
& Lord Selbourne in the House of Lords. If the Irish Unionist Alliance
The extent to which Major Saunderson misunderstands
the whole situation may be seen in his astonishing
Statement that the course of events has "made it
appear that the Ulster Unionists have accepted
the principle of Home Rule". He must have
entirely forgotten the terms of the Ulster Councils'
Resolution to which he was himself a party If Major Saunderson desires to have
the proceedings in Belfast reversed, I suggest
that his proper course is to call — 5 PAGE 4 OF 4.
deceived or that the Ulster Council has
been deceived in coming to the conclusion
contained in par their resolution and
it seems to me to be particularly cruel
to-day at a time when the hearts & homes
of so many in Ulster are now sorrowing
for the brave men who have won glory
for the Province. If Major Saunderson desires to he can
calla public meeting in Belfast & and lay
his views before the Ulster people, and to whom he
can explain to them how he proposes to
get on better terms than I have been able
to as obtain . & of If he can persuade them of the
truth of the allegations contained in his letter
I shall most willingly, if I am so requested,
makeway for him or for any other leader
that the Ulster people may choose. Yours very truly. William Martin Esq
Hilden. Monaghan.