Amongst the Nations

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLVIII, Issue 45, 15 November 1923, Page 21

Amongst the Nations

ENTHUSIASTIC RECOGNITION OF IRELAND’S NEW f ;i;v' ; _ STATUS. , Welcomed to her place in the League of Nations’ Assembly by the representatives of 52 States, Ireland’s hood received its highest recognition and a new triumph marked her progress to her destined place in the world’s affairs; - ■ - ■ ■" Senor de la Torriente, former Foreign Minister of Cuba, presided. He cordially shook the President’s hand when Mr. Cosgrave mounted the tribune to thank the great Assembly after the Irish delegation had been called. M. Meirovics, the Latvian representative, in the name of his Government, expressed the deep homage and respect which his people feel for the “noble Irish,” for whose aspirations they had always felt the warmest and most profound sympathy. 1 The Irish language was heard for the first time in the historic halls at Geneva, when President Cosgrave addressed the Assembly in Gaelic. The delegates listened with rapt attention when the President, speaking English, sounded the keynote of international co-operation to eliminate the causes that bring about war and suffering. ’ Besides the. President, the Irish delegation included Mr. Desmond Fitzgerald, Minister for External Affairs; Dr. Eoin Mac Neill, Minister for Education; Mr. Hugh Kennedy, K. 0., Attorney-General; Marquis MacSwiney, and Mr. Mac White. The Freeman's Journal’s special representative, writing from Geneva, says : As the public clocks of Geneva were striking the hour of midday, the Irish Free State took its place formally in the circle of the nations, called thereto by the unanimous voice" of the 52 States already constituting the League, Many and notable as have been recent events and incidents marking the progress of Ireland’s entrance into her inheritance, this is surely the greatest and most significant of all, since it places a seal, which all peoples of all ages must respect, upon the recognition’ of the country’s status as an independent State, no greater and no less than that of any other nation" in the world. The scene at the admission ceremony was deeply impressive, and, for Irish citizens present, deeply moving. The reception accorded to the Irish delegation was cordial in the extreme. The enthusiasm rose to a high pitch As President Cosgrave mounted the tribune to thank the great assembly, one could not help thinking how proud; any of Ireland’s national heroes of the past would have been to occupy the same position. It was, indeed, a memorable day in the history of the Irish nation. The hall which formed the stage for this historic scene is a big, oblong building. The greater part of the floor is set apart for the delegations of the various nations, each of whom is entitled to have three representatives present at one time. The rest of the floor and two large galleries running round three sides are for the press and members of the public, of whom about 1000 ere to-day present, representing between them the nationalities of the world. The knowledge that Ireland was to be admitted caused a run on tickets, and many applicants were disappointed. From the very opening of the session there was a buzz of excitement and a great curiosity to catch a glimpse of the Irish delegates, who, however, did not put in an appearance till after the preliminary business of the day was over and disposed of. Buzz of Excitement. The chair was taken by his Excellency Cosme de la Torriente y Peraza, former Foreign Minister of Cuba, and a man of marked Irish sympathies, which is not to be wont dered at, seeing that his wife is a descendant of the Longford family of Farrell, many members of which won distinction in the armies and diplomatic service of Spain. Seated throughout the hall were some of the most famous men of the day, men who will have left their mark on latter-day history. While some preliminary business was transacted, the assembly was all agog with impatience. - Then there was a murmur of pleasure as the chairman announced that the next business on the agenda was the application of the Irish Free State for admission to the League of Nations.. •'

Ho formally called on M. Meirovics, the Latvian 're- ■ presentative, to present the report of the Commission which had examined the application. M. Meirovics read the report word for word, and when ho came to the passage aninounoing _ the ' unanimous finding • of the Commission v recommending .the admission of Ireland, there was a spontaneous burst of applause. / It broke on the assembly like a clap of thunder, and was repeated in the same sudden way when the representative of Latvia recommended that the report be adopted. v . Deep Homage. “I desire,” he said, “on behalf of the Latvian Government and people, to express the deep homage and respect which we feel for the noble Irish; a nation for whose aspirations the Latvian . people, taught by their own past_ Bufferings, have always felt the warmest and most profound sympathy. “At. the same time, I cannot conceal the admiration I feel for the generous spirit of the great British nation, which, in the very plenitude of its power and might, has not remained deaf to the aspirations of the Irish people for liberty. “I therefore express my sincerest good wishes for the prosperity of the Irish ..Free State, and welcome it as a member of the League of Nations.” After the applause had died down, M. Meirovics sat down, and the chairman -rose and asked, “Does any member want to speak?” There being no response, he continued: “According to the Covenant, it is necessary that there be a majority of two-thirds in favor of the admission of a ,■ new member. You are accordingly requested to answer ‘ Aye ’ or No as the name of each country is called.” The clerk read the names, and a tense silence was only broken by the replies of the delegates. True, there were one or two spasmodic bursts of laughter caused by the' unexpected vehemence with which the delegates replied. There as not a single objector. There was fresh acclamation from floor and gallery as the President of the Assembly announced in joyous tones “The Assembly has decided unanimously in favor of the resolution,” adding after a pause, “I therefore proclaim the Irish Free State admitted to the League of Na-. tions. I think I shall rightly voice the feeling of the Assembly in congratulating it upon its admission.” Delegates Called. . The Chairman of Credentials was then called on to report on the question of credentials of the Irish delegates, and when he had declared that they were all in order, the President rose again and said: “In accordance with established precedents, I call on the delegates from Ireland to come and sit among us.” Immediately came another outburst of applause, and this was intensified when President Cosgrave,' Mr. MacNeill, and Mr. Fitzgerald, followed by the substitute delegates, Messrs. Kennedy, MacSwiney, • and Mac White, made their entrance from the side of the platform. As they advanced to their places, there was much hand-clapping and much waving of. handkerchiefs from all parts of the hall. Many delegates sprang to., their feet in honor of their new colleagues. GAELIC SALUTATION; PRESIDENT SPEAKS TO DELEGATES IN NATIVE TONGUE. Scarcely were the delegates seated than the chairman announced that President Cosgrave, the chief delegate, would address the Assembly. As Mr. Cosgrave advanced to the Tribune, he was given another ovation, which reached its climax as he warmly gripped the outstretched hand of President Torriente. - . - • - / ' .--C Then, turning to the audience, the Irish spokesman began to speak in Irish. At first a look of wonderment spread over the faces of his hearers. They had never heard the tongue before. Then the realisation dawned on them that he was speaking his national language,;--and wonder gave way to pleasure , and hearty approval. As. the President broke into English all listened with rapt attention. When he spoke of Ireland’s ancient friendship with European nations, and again when he referred to her desire to V. co-operate with her sister States in the League: to .secure the peace of the earth, and the elimination of all bitterness, "there were marked signs of appreciation. ■.For the most part, 7- however, 1 the delegates ■ and ; the

throng in’ the galleries reserved their plaudits to the end of the speech. Then they once more gave free rein to their approbation.- * -r Striking Scenes. •' Habitues of the League meetings have never witnessed such a scene before. It was, they say, unprecedented, and I can*well believe that. Similarly it was unprecedented that, the representative of a new- member should have been called on to speak at the very first moment after his State had been elected. Altogether it was an occasion ' which will live long in the memory of the Irishmen who ere present, for it would, indeed, be an unpatriotic son of Erin whose pulse did not leap at the honor paid to his native country in Geneva to-day. In a statement to the press Mr. Fitzgerald: said: “Ireland is one of the world’s most war-scarred countries. Her population has been reduced in 80 years from 8,500,000 to 4,250,000. We have a world-wide reputation for being belligerent, when we fought only for independence, which is the right of every nation^ “Now that we have achieved independence, the nations will find that we are the most peaceful nation in the world. It was for that reason that we joined the league. We have been accused of egoism, but it was necessary to secure our freedom, and our first act thereafter was to disavow Bacro-egoism by joining the League. We have a sincere desire to participate, in collaboration with the other nations, for the general good.” ■ v ; '.\