ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11535, 18 March 1903, Page 7

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

CELEBRATION IN SYDNEY.

GABLE NEWS.

SPEECH BY SIR J. Q. WARD

United Press Association—-? Eleotrio Telegraph—Copyright. (Received .March 17th, 11.57 p.m.) SYBNEY, March 17. St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in fine weather. Despite the fact that the day was not p-oclaimed a holiday, tha usual sports were held at tho Agricultural ground, and the banquet was largely at tended. The guests included Dr. Verdon, Bishop of Dunedin, and Sir J. G. Ward. Sir K. Barton, res ponding at the banquet to the toast of tho Commonwealth, said if he might be allowed to touch lightly upon something which had happened, he did not believe there had lxvn or was now in contemplation any sacerdotal interference with freedom in voting. Cardinal Moran was _ wise man. and would not 1m so foolhardy as to rush into such a course that might procure, for him tho i._r:;t merit of a fieo people. He believed they would find, a_ they had done on many other occasions, thai the suspicions of interference by those who ruled their Church with the voting at elections weie unfounded. Sir J. ... Ward proposed the toast of "The Day W. Celebrate." It was but natural, he *_ud, that the Irish should in a calm and rational spirit commemorate in a suitab'o way the anniversaiy of St. Patrick. This commemoration should be raised above, and entirely d .tacked from, anything in the shajK.* of politics or creed distinction. It was the subject of natural pride to Englishmen to l .view the history of England's patron saint St. _eorge,-and it w;i.s equally a matter that appealed to the hearts oi tlie Scotch t _ honour the memory ol St. Andrew. He refenvd to the virile liifluiiig power of the Irish race in the dogged struggle for supremacy in South Africa, which further brightened their shield of glory—-a suoject oi pride, not only to Irishmen, but also to their Englisn and Scotch comrades, just ac tho long list of the deeds of their English and Scottish fellow-subjects i_o_ved the commendation of generous Irishmen in all parte of the world. Ho hoped the intertwining of the rose, thistle and shamrock would go on in harmony and peace, "and as a result that the stout and indestructible tree of Empire may grow, and that the welldirected effort*; of the leaders of public opinion will enable us to build a vast and powerful nation." (Received March 18th, 1.2 a.m.) SYDNEY, _ larch 17. Cardinal Moron, who presided at the banquet, in responding to the toast of his health, chiefly confined his remarks to the progress of events in Ireland, and said that after seven centuries of pereecut-on a more auspicious day ' had come for 'iit-tand. Irishmen might now faintly' hope that the era of misrule had been closed, and closed for ever. British i__«t ______ appeared to have awakened at last to the necessity of legislating for Ireland in accordance with Irish ideas and Irish interests. He referred hopefully to the Irish Land Bill and the higher hducation Bill.