I was sorry not to see Mr. Frank MacDermot's name
in the list of candidates in the Irish Free State elections. No doubt he has his own reasons for not seeking re-election, but on public grounds his decision is greatly to be deplored. No member of the Dail has been accustomed to display a greater sense of political responsibility, and from his vantage point as an independent he has constantly shown himself a champion of common sense and truth where others, tram- melled by the formulas of party, have been at best the servants of expediency. I should like to think the reason for his absence from the lists is that Mr. de Valera proposes to appoint him as his new ceremonial head of the State—assuming that the impending plebiscite allows the office to be created. He would be admirably equipped for the position, but there is as yet no reason to believe that it is not destined by its creator for another.
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