IRISH FREE STATE

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 4746, 14 September 1935, Page 5

IRISH FREE STATE

REVISION OF CONSTITUTION. PAVING WAY FOR REPUBLIC. (Press Association. —Copyright.) (Received 11.20 a.m.) Dublin, September 13. "The Irish Free State Constitution will be further revised, producing a Republican Constitution," said Sean Lemass at a Fianna Fail meeting. He added: "We have now reached the stage at which a complete achievement of our national objective is within sight. The Free State Constitution, which has undergone many changes, to-day is very different from the document published on the eve of the civil war, but even at present it is not acceptable to the Irish. Accordingly it must be revised." Referring to the Privy Council judgment of June 6, Mr. Lemass said the treaty, which the Fianna Fail did not regard as morally binding, is now recognised as binding by the supreme British tribu'nal. The Free State now completely controlled its own affairs except forcertain formal acts executed in the name of the British King instead of in the name of the Irish people.

In a judgment delivered by the Privy Council on June 6 in an appeal in relation to Free State fishery rights, it was laid down that the effect of the Statute of Westminster was to remove a fetter upon the Irish Free State Legislature by reason of the Colonial Laws Validity Act. That Legislature can now pass Acjts repugnant to the Imperial Act. The Lord Chancellor, Viscount Sa'nkey, said that before the passing of the Statute of Westminster it was not competent for the Free State Parliament to pass an Act abrogating any former treaty, because the Colonial Laws Validity Act forbade Dominion legislation repugnant to the Imperial Act. Under the Statute of Westminster the Free State could pass a repugnant Act. The statute gave it the power, of which it had availed itself, to abrogate the treaty.