MR. DE VALERA AND SENATE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22319, 17 January 1936, Page 8

MR. DE VALERA AND SENATE

No doubt the Senato of the Irish Free State will reject Mr. de Valera's bill aimed at its abolition, but its negative will be unavailing. Under the Constitution the bill will become law within 60 days, as a period of 18 months has elapsed since its previous rejection by the Senate. Mr. de Valera first tried to limit to three months the period during which the Senate could hold up legislation passed by the Dail. The Senate declined to reduce its delaying power. Mr. de Valera might have let matters stand at that inconclusive stage had not the Senate proceeded to reject his Blue Shirts Bill, aimed at the League of Youth organised by the United Ireland Party, of which Mr. Cosgrave is the leader. Mr. de Valera could not afford to brook that provocative challenge. So. before many months are past, the Irish Free State will be reduced to a one-chamber legislature. I here is as vet no indication that the Government intends to replace the Senate bv anything else. A statement was recently made, however, by Mr. Sean Lemas's, Minister of Industry and Commerce, that the Constitution would soon be further revised. A republican constitution would, he said, result from legislation shortly to be introduced, thus completely achieving his party's national objective. If Mr. Lemass was speaking for the Government and the stated intention is carried out, Mr. de Valera's main political objective—a united Ireland including Ulster—will be rendered impossible of attainment, while the Free State's economic necessity—the end of the quarrel with Britain and of the trade war _ w ill be far less easily supplied.