The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-03-20
KNIGHTS FEAST AT TONTINE
PATRIOTIC SONS OF SAINT PAT.
 RICK CELEBRATE.

Patriotism the Keynote and Spirit of
 the ssembly-ChapIafn Chidwick, of
 'Destroyed Maine" Principal Speaker
 of the Evening-some Prominent
 Gt.ests.
 Amid profusion of American and Irish flags in the dining roam of the hospitable Tontine last night the an nual banquet was served to the Knights of St. Patrick. It was the most pleas ant and successful gathering in many years. Over two hundred praisers of Ireland's patron saint gathered to do him homage. Ireland's past present and future were extolled. Quite dele- gation from the Yale Glee club was present, and it's many songs were en- Ii cored.
 The chief speaker of the evening was Rev. John P. Chidwick, now of Boston, but chaplain of the battleship Maine at the time of her destruction in the har- bor of Havana. He responded to the toast Remember the Maine" He said 4 in part.
 i Gentlemen, when that noble ship of our navy was blown to atoms sensa- tional newspapers thought they would alleviate broken-h hearted America s bangs by declaring that the officers of the Maine, on that fatal night, were lounging in the cafes of Havana. Don't believe it. It is the most wicked fabri- cation they could have thought of. l want you. one and all, to refute such a charge when you can, for out of thirty officers on the Maine only four were on shore that night, and they were the duartermaster's clerk and three others not of his rank. Those papers did greater harm to aching hearts In our land by the publication of that mon strous lie than they had planned.
 Our impression was that the war had begun and the Spaniards were fir ing on us. Two hundred and fifty-one souls went to their maker that fatal night, either drowned or roasted in the flaming hulk of the unfortunate Maine. |, was without even signal-none knew the cause nor whither to turn. Now, it is for us to conjecture the cause, yet we can come to no positive conclusion. But this we do know: God attended our efforts when we went to war with Spain. The war was not caused chiefly by the destruction of the Maine and loss of American life in Ha- vana harbor, but the fact that a small island at our door was bleeding under the heel of a tyrannical government. remember when we were all trying to escape to the land that night that saw a young, robust and manly Maine sailor was hurrying about on deck with one arm torn from his body and some began to cry. Upon hearing this this noble fellow said: Boys, don't cry; we don't want the Spaniards to hear us Gentlemen, that man was an Irishman We find the Irish in all walks of life They are in the legislative halls, on the iudiciary-in fact, everywhere in this American life Irish blood has done its duty
 At the guests table were Mayor Johr P. Studley, Colonel N. c. Osborn, Rev Edward Downes, President John H Dillon. Rev. J. J. McGivney, Lawyer John T. Smith, of New York city; Dr Hugh J. Molloy Rev. J. P, Chidwicl and Dr. John M. Berdan, of Yale,
 The banquet committee was compos ed of E. M. McCabe, F. P Cronan, J. B Monahan, Thomas Gibbons and E. J Moriarty.
 The list of speakers was as follows: Welcome-President John H. Dillon. Loyalty and Liberty-Rev John J. Nc
 Givney.
 The Day We Celebrate-John Thoma
 Smith.
 Memories and Lessons of the Day-Dr = Hugh J. Molloy.
 Remember the Maine-Rev. John F ChidWick.
 '- Meath the Elms-Dr. John M. Berdan Toastmaster-Rev Edward Downes.