CASE OF FATHER JERGER.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1920, Page 1

CASE OF FATHER JERGER.

SYDNEY CROWDS SPEND AMUSING SUNDAY.

SYDNEY, June 2.

If tlio nature and headings of the newspaper report of the Father Jerger demonstrations last Sunday are any criterion of the nature of i the reports sent abroad ,the people of this city have heon somewhat libelled. Some tens of thousands of persons were present in Moore Park where addresses were being given, but the only serious faces.which the writer saw there were the foe is of the orators. . j

Father Jerger is a priest who early in tlie war harl charge of a parish in the Sydney suburbs. He was not under suspicion at first, or until lute in J '.‘lt-; and then many stories got into circulation about hint. Even then little attention was paid him. After a while, however, his behaviour be': une a byword, the military ah thou ties stepped in, and after an enquiry he was lodged in the German internment camp at 1 Holdsworthy. Investigation showed that the man’s boyhood had been spent iii Germany and that his early associations had been \ intimately Teutonic. His stepfather was a German, and his name was German; but it does not appear to have been proved that he had German blood. , The internment of Father Jerger raised an outcry from the Roman Catholic authorities, but nobody took any notice. Then, Recently it was announced that tlie last of the “Holdworthians” were to be deported as potential enemies of Britain, leather Jerger among them. The Roman Catholic organisations commenced a persistent and violent agitation against the deportation. The Federal authorities said that they, were satisfied in regard to the matter and Jerger would be deported. Then tlie Catholics started a public agitation in Sydney, which received some support —notably tliat of the Lord Mayor, who is the devoted nominee of Labour, a Roman Catholic, and of Irish descent. The movement got- some support because of tlie high-banded way of the Federal Government, which, instead of making a public Statement -about the case, simply said that in its judgment tlie man should be deported. So the Roman Catholics called a public meeting of protest for Sunday at Moore Park. The organised Returned Soldiers’ League 'promptly called a sim.i. lar meeting for the same time and place. It was ostensibly a meeting to say that the returned soldiers wanted to see all men deported who were interned while they were away fighting—but there is no more in it than that. This move to keep Father .Tergei in Aus tralia was held to have ugly features—to be a. direct challenge of the Federal authority by the Ch urclv. Hie thousands who streamed nito Moore Park/on Sunday' ranged . themselves into two groups —a very big one at one end of. the open space, and .a bier 011(2 at the other end. There were three platforms from which the very bio- crowd were addressed, and priests- - bier men of striking personality—were conspicuous; while the smaller gathering was addressed by returned soldiers from one platform, over which the Union Jack waved lazily. The two camps of speakers were passionately in earnest; hut ninety-nine per cent, of the people appeared to ho simly looking for amusement. “Tlie Irish and the rintatrish—there’s sure to be a scrap. Let s , g o,” appeared to sum up their attitude. The fire may have been there, bit there was no tinder. No one appeared excited or worked up-except a long lean Irishman, who got amongst the returned soldiers, and made a nasty remark about the Union Jack. ‘ Here von get out. That’s your • meeting place over them,” cried the Diggers, Ld they grabbed him, fighting savagely and marched him half-way to th other meeting, let him go and shoo d him across. Dense crowds swarm round, of course. It might have been the signal for a riot. Instead, eveiyom was laughing. little" The* situation became tense a- nttle later on. The soldiers passed loyal, pi pdeportion resolution, and ended then meeting. Most of the big crowdl dieted homewards hut a. couple „ merry Diggers decided to “go across and hear what the Irish were sayingThey approached a platform w leu. Father O’Reilly was speaking. Th s priest’s language—he is his oratorical outbursts is - ■ F the order that turns away wrath, and the Diggers did not> like what heard. So they counted lnm out, icy Wnrtilv Everyone laughed, excel small crowd close up near whence an angry buzz aiose. P persisted, so the Diggers counted out again. His language, m thei | opinion, continued objectionable, so +hev formed themselves into a sob form took p<*«»»otr of .1. of police appeared, tipped the IP. session. And eveiy body con laugh—the Diggers most of al . deportation resolutions were a p the other platforms and then crowd drifted home. It had bee . ■ slow, by no means serious and somewhat disappointing afternoon. And this was presented m the n • I ” ot ' Tense- Moments in Moore 1 ark.