Before we proceed to deal with the orders on the Paper I invite the careful attention the Seanad to the position in which it stands in reference to the business that has yet to be discharged. Up to Friday last, from all the information that was available to me, I was under the impression that no business would come in the interval from the Dáil that would justify me convening a meeting of the Seanad for this week at all, because up to Friday there was no business, in fact, ready. But upon the Friday I got information that two Bills at least of considerable importance—the Public Safety (Emergency Powers) Bill, 1923, and the Land Bill, 1923—would probably pass through their final stages in the Dáil on Monday, and that these two Bills and another Bill—the Electoral Abuses Bill—would consequently reach this Seanad on Tuesday—that is, last Tuesday—and at the latest on Wednesday morning. Accordingly, I came to the conclusion it was my duty to convene the Seanad, not for the usual day, Wednesday, because that would have left little or no opportunity for the Senators to study these Bills, but that I should convene it for to-day.
In the interval, however, if we are to accept the pronouncements in the public Press, it seems to be obvious that the date of the dissolution is rapidly approaching, and the usual and inevitable result of that has been that we are to be visited with a very substantial number of Bills in addition to those I have mentioned, some of them more or less formal in their nature; others of considerable importance, but of a temporary character. I have been supplied with a list of these Bills, and you will understand that they are in addition to the three I have mentioned—that is to say, the Land Bill, the Public Safety (Emergency Powers) Bill, and the Electoral Abuses Bill. These that I am now going to mention are in addition to these three Bills:—The Dáil Courts (Winding Up) Bill, a Superannuation Bill, a Civil Service Commission Bill, a Defence Forces Bill, a Finance Bill (No. 2), a Civic Guard Bill, an Appropriations Bill, an Indemnity Bill, a Ministries Bill, a Dyestuffs Repeal Bill, a League of Nations Bill, a Judiciary Bill, a suspension of Valuation Bill, and a Licensing Bill. As regards some of these, particularly the Defence Forces Bill and the Civic Guard Bill, they are for the purpose of legalising the existence of an Army and the existince of a civic force. They are on their face of a temporary nature only, but they are absolutely necessary, of course, to legalise the position of these two bodies.
In face of this amount of work, I think the Seanad will find it essential that they should sit upon Monday and Tuesday of next week, and probably throughout the week. Of course, they must sit to-morrow. What I propose to ask the Seanad to do is to-day to allow, in the first instance, one of these Bills which is to be originated in the Seanad—that is, the Dyestuffs Bill—to be introduced to-day. It is a Bill of one clause only. I need not state what its contents are, but when it is introduced the Seanad, I think, will find that it will practically be an agreed Bill, and be acceptable to all classes in the Seanad. Another of these Bills, the League of Nations Bill, it is proposed to introduce into the Seanad to-morrow, and it will accordingly be the first matter on the Orders for to-morrow. If the Seanad will agree with my suggestion, I propose that after we have disposed of the introduction of this Dyestuffs Bill to-day we should then proceed to take the Second Reading of the Public Safety (Emergency Powers) Bill, and, if the debate upon that Second Reading concludes in time to leave any further opportunity, I propose we should then take up the Second Reading of the Land Bill.
But if time does not permit, then I suggest that the Land Bill be taken for its Second Reading to-morrow, and that, in addition, the Dyestuffs Bill should then be put through its remaining stages, being a non-contentious Bill. I also would advise the Seanad to agree that on Monday next they should take the Land Bill in Committee, and that on Tuesday they should take in Committee the Public Safety Bill. I put the Committee Stage of the Land Bill first, because the other Bill is likely to be more contentious. From what I have already seen there will be more amendments put down to the second Bill than there will be to the Land Bill, and therefore I think we may safely assume that we will dispose of the Committee Stage of the Land Bill on Monday, leaving us free take up the Committee Stage of the Public Safety Bill on Tuesday. These, of course, are only my suggestions. The decision rests with the Seanad, and not with me, and I have neither the desire nor the power to dictate to them in any way in regard to this.
There is one observation I feel coerced to make before I sit down—that the Government, after making all allowance for the responsibilities and obligations with which they find themselves confronted in the distribution of the time that was at their disposal for the consideration of these Bills between the two Houses, and in practically compelling us to dispose in a few days of Bills of first-class importance that occupied weeks in the Dáil, are treating this Seanad with scant courtesy and with less consideration. I feel convinced that had we been in normal times this Seanad, having regard to its own duty and with a sense of its own dignity and constitutional status, would have declined to be rushed in this way.
But the Government, for reasons best known to themselves, though I think most of them are obvious to us all, apparently are determined upon an early Dissolution, and consequently, faced as we are with this constitutional crisis— which, for the sake of all concerned and for the peace and progress of our people ought, in my opinion, be brought to an issue at the earliest date—I would appeal to the members of the Seanad to rest content with this protest which I have made on their behalf. In the dilemma in which they are placed through no fault of their own, but entirely through the action and necessities of the Government, they should accept under the circumstances the situation and apply themselves as best they can to a consideration of these Bills in the time there is at their disposal.
