Bankrupt?

Certain weird sounds issuing from the rostrum of the Assembly of the League of Nations last week were only President Eamon de Valera opening the session with these words in Gaelic: "May God assist us in the exalted task before us; may He not permit that we should fail!"

Work done by the League last week was to accept finally the resignation of ruddy-faced, sandy-mustached Sir Eric Drummond who has been Secretary General of the League of Nations since its foundation. Everyone expects the Assembly to debate for days or weeks before choosing Sir Eric's successor. In his opening address, Eamon de Valera gave the representatives of 53 nations a piece of his Irish mind.

"The League is on trial," said President de Valera. "There is a suspicion abroad that little more than lip service is being paid to the fundamental principles upon which the League was founded. There is a suspicion that the action of the League in the economic sphere can be paralyzed by the pressure of national interests. There is a suspicion, gentlemen, that if the hand that is raised against the Covenant of the League is sufficiently strong it can smite with impunity!"

A fundamental principle is that League states should pay their share of the running expense. Last week Norwegian Chairman Carl Hambro of the League Budget reported that only nine states have paid their dues in full this year; that there is $1,440,000 owing for the years 1930-32; that the League will apparently have to declare itself bankrupt or obtain a loan.

"Most disturbing!" cried British Foreign Secretary Sir John Simon. "This report is indeed one of undoubted gravity."

Though he never left Swiss soil last week, President de Valera performed from Geneva one of the most thoroughly Irish acts of his career. By his "advice" (order) the royally appointed Governor General of the Irish Free State, James McNeill, journeyed from Dublin to London, called at Buckingham Palace, resigned. Perforce King George accepted the resignation, showed his feelings by having Mr. McNeill to lunch, keeping him at the Palace until 3 p. m. As every Irishman knows, poor Mr. McNeill has been the butt of studied Dublin insults ever since Eamon de Valera became President (TIME, March 21).

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