And it is Party gone mad to oppose a loan of £5,000 to cover the initial expenses of this organization until it is able to get back the money from the organisations which will affiliate with it. This money in Dáil Éireann has been subscribed mainly by those organisations or members of those organisations. To prevent them now being helped at the top and to cause a delay I think is a shame. If it is opposed by the other side it is a shame. I did not expect it would be. I say this as to Paris—members of this Assembly went out to Paris and they said it would be nothing but cultural, men who knew that culture alone would not keep this organisation together. What keeps them together is the desire to help the people of Ireland to achieve her full rights. I don't think that anybody on the other side has said that Ireland has achieved her complete independence. Therefore, the organisation is to help Ireland, from that point of view, on the rough road that she may have to travel. It was said that this was "Party." When this, as a fundamental aim, was put forward, it was opposed. Finally, it was accepted and when it became a question of officers, a number of officers were elected unanimously. The President, Vice-President and Hon. Secretary were elected unanimously. There was unanimity there. It came, after some sort of argument about Party methods, to the appointment of an Executive Secretary at the first meeting of the Executive. It happens that only one member of the executive has the same political views, in so far as they wish to express their views, as the present Cabinet. I admit that but I do not think one ought to veto any man because he happens to represent a different political faith. It came to the appointment of an Executive Secretary. That Secretary had served Ireland well. He had served Dáil Éireann well as Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs. He was a man who knew the details of the work, because he, more than anyone else, had done the organising work necessary in order to bring the Congress together. Then an exception was made. His appointment was not made on Party lines but the suggestion was that a Co-Secretary should be put there to watch him, with equal authority—a suggestion that no business man would dream of for a moment. I am trying to anticipate the Minister for Foreign Affairs who was going to speak on this subject. The Co-Secretary was suggested. He was to watch the other man. I think we ought to have come to a time when we ought end this thing—when you have two opposite forces causing a nullity. This man was chosen Hon. Secretary. He had experience. He resigned his position as Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs because he found that his work there was going to be curtailed by the restrictions of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. He was either not to be there or to be put into the humiliating position that another man had to be put to watch him. No business man would have two secretaries as Executive Secretaries. You could get nowhere with it. We decided that we would not stand for that—for that rule that you have an example of here, with a Catholic and Protestant, one watching the other. We find that the Hon Secretary who was here in Ireland was able to watch and see that his Executive Secretary would do his work, and the President and every member of the Committee would have an opportunity of going in and examining the whole correspondence if they so desired. The man being efficient and the best for the position and on grounds of practical work, we refused to change that appointment. Because of that, those bitter things were written over here. I say that appointment was made in all good faith and honesty. He was a servant of Dáil Éireann and perhaps some one wanted him to be penalised because he was a Republican and because he wanted to have Ireland free and to secure for Ireland her rightful place amongst the nations of the earth. It was because of that that we would not turn him down or put a spy to watch upon him. That can be the only objection why £5,000 should not be loaned for it is on good security. The people who subscribed the millions to Dáil Éireann will also subscribe this.
