The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-18
BANQUET OF KNIGHTS IS
 A SUCCESS
Governor LiIIey as Guest Responds to
 Toast With EuIogy of Erin.
Speech of HalIen, Replying to Eliot, Re-
 ceiyed With Enthusiasm.

Name of St. Patrick Honored in Music,
 National Airs, and Patriotic Speeches John I. King is Toastmaster - Judge Pullman Speaks.
 The banquet given by the Knights | Of St. Patrick at the Stratfield. last might, was one of the most successful | in the history of the organization. The occasion was marked by the presence | of Governor George L. Li1ley. who paid l a splendid tribute to the famous men I that Ireland has contributed to Amer i ica. John T. King. fresh from triumphs ] in Hartford. was the toastmaster. and 1 aptly introduced a number of speakers. Perhaps the event of the evening was | the eloquent scholarly and pointed
 reply of Edward F. Hallen to the | speech of President Eliot, late of liar
 ward indicting the Irish and other peo- pie of foreign extraction who have set | tied in this country.
 | In opening. President King said in part: 'We are to-day engaged in pay ing honor to the memory. of St. Pat rick. Ireland's patron saint. There are some men who are more or less aSham- | ed to be Irish. But I believed they are few. I am proud of the ancestry of my father and mother. I glory in Ine1r lr1Sn birth. NO man SnOulQ De ashamed of that which is good enough for his father and mother. History tells us that iR Irish ancestry there is everything 70 be proud of The Irish mother has brought to the home every idea of sanctity and every element
 that tends to make the world good.
 The love of home and her children with
 the purity in her nome have contri-
 ment of the Irish in America that any
 other factor
 President King. as toastmaster. in
 troduced Governor Lilley. whose only
 violation of the corrupt practices act
 he said, was that his promise to at
 tend the banquet was made before
 election.
 Three cheers were given for the gov
 ernor and then everyone sang "For
 He is a. Jolly Good Fellow and Hall
 to Our Old Chief" The governors speech made a decided hit and he rea6t
 it with a. great deal of vim. When he Namara. three brothers of that name. who are prominent business men in the city. stood up and were greeted with applause. Governor Li1ley's speech will be found on page z.
 Rev. Father Fitzgerald. assistant l pastor of the Sacred Heart. answered l He said in part: .'Once a year the | Irish people come before the American | people to tell the story of the country | from whence they came. The history |
 
 any country on the earth They cross | the sea and come to you as lovers of | liberty and as men who have loved | their God From the day Patrick went up the hill at Tara, in 4S2. the German. Cymbrian and the Frank went to Ire land to learn. For 300 years Ireland fought for it's altar and it's country. Only after 300 years of war was the yoke thrown off the country by Great Britain. Again for 400 years they | fought against the invasion of the Anglo-Saxon. Then Henry VIII came with the mandate that Ireland was to after 700 years of war and again buckled on the armor and took up the sword to keep alive the teachings of St. Patrick and preserve the church in Ireland. Then came Eliza beth and Cromwell. Laws were made to deny the Irish people education. but the stigma of ignorance has never rested on the fair brow of Ireland. From to Yorktown there was not a battle in the great American Revo- lution that was not baptised with Irish 
 Mayor Lee answered to the toast "Our City, He said that he was not ashamed of Bridgeport. He remem- bered it when it was borough and he came here there was not one city in the state with 100000 inhabitants. He spoke of it's beautiful parks. it's schools. churches and fine sewer sys- | has made the per capita indebtedness $17 less than that of any city in the state. He added. "There are number of distinguished citizens who criticize public officials. They are the angels. More than one of these men who criti- cize will not take hold and try to help run the government of the city. But the city will not stop growing. even if it cannot get a. little more Sunday law. I myself think there are many worse things than playing ball on Sun day. Golf is one of them.'' l.
 He concluded by saying that the [rishman had done his share in making Bridgeport what it is.
 Edward F. Hallen was the succeed ng speaker. The text of his speech will be found on page '.
 Judge John S. Pullman said he had been listening to the remarks of the postmaster during the evening. He could not help but think how true 1 were the words the power of oratory l ies in it's effect, as it came to him I low the toastmaster, with Irish blar- I ley, had made the worst appear the l pest in the City court contest at Hart ord.
 s'In spite of Senators, Sheriffs, Uni ed States Senators, Congressmen, 2 State Central committeeman, and if I | must say it, in spite of the present I udge of the City court, he brought g bout a vote of to 4, and the judicial T rrnine will hang upon shoulders which had scant hope. That is what T
 call oratory. If it would not be ank treason, and I were he, I would T all in Robbie Gould to lead the chorus C n singing God Save the King
 tIt would be presumptiouS for me, T peaking to you here, if did not tell ou that I thought the body polite, \ which was suffering from many ail- D nents would soon be cured when I V 1jected my youthful self into the field n political activity. But she still has =
 few pains. I ran for Alderman t rhen each side nominated 20 men and he first ten on each side were elected.
 was the last of the forty when the oteS were cast I have been pad ling along ever since until I had a 8, iw partner who was also city attor- "a Marr. It was nearing Q ne end of Jimmy's term and we want Il q a. reappointment. and deciding that a