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DECEMBER, 1922]
The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.
31
would be equally affected.
Nevertheless,
individual Solicitors or any body of Solicitors
who desired to make suggestions or give
information of any kind based on their
professional experience, could rest assured
that they would receive from the Council
every encouragement. The Council was only
too willing and anxious to co-operate with
such Solicitors in placing before the Judiciary
Committee
the considered views of
the
profession as a whole.
The Council would welcome the presenta
tion of their views by country Solicitors,
either through the medium of the Council or
independently. Personally, he thought much
practical good would be achieved by a
conference
in Dublin
between
country
Solicitors and the Council. Such an exchange
of views would necessarily be productive of
much common good.
It was anticipated that the terms of
reference of the Committee would be com
prehensive. Article 67 of the Constitution
provided that:
" the number of Judges, the constitution
and organisation of and distribution of
business and jurisdiction among the said
Courts and Judges, and all matters of
procedure, shall be as prescribed by the
laws for the time being in force and the
regulations made thereunder."
It would thus be seen that the findings of
that Committee might be very far-reaching
in their effect on the future of the legal
professions.
An
important matter which had been
engaging the attention of the Council since
the issue of the Report was the constitution
of the Senate. They would remember that
a resolution was adopted by the Dail, under
which the President of the Free State, in
nominating members to the Senate with a
view to the providing of representation for
groups or parties, was to consult with repre
sentative persons and bodies, amongst the
latter being that Society.
In accordance
with that resolution they received from the
President a request that that Society would
forward to him nominations for the Senate.
|^In compliance with that request the Council
had selected and forwarded names to the
President to assist him in making a selection.
He was at liberty to say that in the making
of their selection the Council did not confine
themselves exclusively to selection from its
own members. They did not at present feel
themselves at liberty to publish these names,
regarding them as confidential communica
tions between the Government and them
selves.
Their Society's valuable Library was
included in the destruction of the Four
Courts, and they had begun to acquire books
for the purpose of the formation of a new
Library. Already, he was glad to say, they
had a considerable nucleus. Assistance in
this respect from members of law books not
required by
them would be gratefully
accepted.
They would, no doubt, have observed with
satisfaction
that,
notwithstanding
the
difficult times through which the Society
was passing,
they had been enabled
to
continue the education and examinations of
their apprentices. They had been laid under
a great debt of gratitude by the courtesy of
Sir William De Courcy Wheeler, the President,
and the Council of the Royal College of
Surgeons, who had placed their very hand
some hall at their disposal for examinations
and one of their smaller halls for lectures.
He desired to acknowledge the courtesy and
kindness in this matter of the Registrar of
the Royal College of Surgeons.
He was convinced that the Solicitors'
profession was destined to play a very
important part in the work of their new
Constitution. They were an influential and
widespread body. They could do much to
promote fellowship and good-will amongst
Irishmen of all creeds, religious and political.
He believed that the spirit of peace was
breathing over their beloved land.
A fine example was set on the previous
night in the British House of Commons in
the unanimity displayed in reference to the
Treaty by all parties. Here were assembled
men who in the past held diametrically
opposed views, but who unhesitatingly and
chivalrously wiped out the past to ensure a
bright future for Ireland. Why could not
Irishmen do that ?
To-day, speaking on
behalf of
their profession,
so
intimately
associated as they had been with the life
and well-being of this country, he did not
hesitate to appeal to all his fellow-countrymen