The type of reply made from the Government Benches to the speeches on the order question make me recall that on previous occasions here I pointed to a certain sequence in the County Limerick. First, an attempt was made in an organised way to prevent an orderly public meeting being held in Kilmallock. That was the cause of an historic disturbance there, when a crowd of young men who assisted a handful of Guards in asserting the right of the people to meet peacefully in public and speak on Irish affairs were fully vindicated. Next, at a meeting in the City of Limerick, Deputy Cosgrave and Deputy Dillon were viciously attacked by a mob without any adequate police protection. In the third instance, at a meeting in Limerick, the blue shirt, as a badge of discipline, had appeared on the scene. The Government said to the mob: "Stand out of the way; we shall take the shirts off them and knock the discipline out of them. We shall deal firmly and courageously with the people who want to speak but in a much more effective and subtle way than that of the mob." That is the intention still, judging by the Minister's speeches in reply to the criticism levelled at the actions of the Attorney-General and the Ministry. Apparently, the Minister for Justice who started out on his Ministerial career by calling on his constituents to "clear the accursed crowd out of the Government's way" still holds to that idea, though in a more determined way. He says practically to-day "We shall clear the accused crowd out of the Government's way."
Appropriation Bill, 1934—Committee and Final Stages.
Agreed to take the Committee Stage now.
Bill put through Committee without amendment and reported.
Fourth Stage agreed to.
Question proposed: "That the Bill do now pass."
Question put and agreed to.
Bill certified as a Money Bill within the meaning of Article No. 35 of the Constitution.
The Dáil adjourned at 10.30 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Thursday.