CASE OF FATHER JERGER.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 June 1920, Page 11

CASE OF FATHER JERGER.

LARGE SYDNEY CROWDS SPEND • AN AMUSING SUNDAY. Sydney, June 2.. If the nature and headings of the newspaper .reports of the Father Jerg.'r demonstrations last Sunday are any criterion of the nature, of the reports sent abroad, the people of the city have been somewhat libelled. Same tens of thousands of persons were present in Moore Park, where addresses were being'given, hut the only serious faces which the writer saw there were the faces of the orators. Father Jerger is a priest who, early ia the war, had charge of a parish in the Sydney suburbs. He was not under suspicion nt first, or until late in 1016; and then many stories got into circulation about him. Even then, little attention was paid him. Some 'rish priests were not exactly conspicuous for their loyalty ,to the British clause, and Jerger was simply classed with them andi ignored. After a. while, however, his behaviour became a Byword, and after an inquiry, he was lodged in the German internment camp at Holdsworthy. Investigation showed that the man's boyhood had been spent in Germany, and that his early associations had been intimately Teutonic. His stopfther 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 a howl from the Roman Catholic authorities, but nobody took any notice Then, recently it was announced that the last of the "Holdsworthians" were to be deported as potential enemies of Britain, 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 a public agitation was started in Sydney, which received some support —notably that of the Lord Mayor, who is the devoted nominee of Labor, and of Irish descent. The movement got some support because of the high-handed way of the Federal Government which, instead of making a public statement about the case, simply said that in its judgment the man should be deportedSo the Roman Catholics called a public meeting of protest for Sunday at Moore Park. The organised Returned Soldiers' League promptly called a siailar meeting for the same lime and place. It was ostensibly a meeting to say that the returned soldiers wanted to see &\\ men deported who were interned while they were away fightinghut there was more in it than that. This mov- to keep Father Jerger in Ava-' tralia was held to have ugly features — to l)c a direct challenge of the Federal authority. The thousands j|lio streamed into Moore Park on Sunday, ranged themselves into two groups—a vwy big one at one end of the open spa.'e, and a big one at the other end. There were three platforms from which the very big crowd was addressed, and priests—big 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 ot speakers were passionately in earnest; but ninety-nine per cent of the people appeared to he simply looking for amusement. "The Irish and the antiIrish—there's sure to be a scrap; let's go," appeared to sum up their attitude. The fire may have been there, hut 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—you get. out. That's your meeting over there," cried the Diggers; and they grabbed him, righting savagely, and marched him half-way to the other meeting, let him go, and shoo'd bim across Dense crowds swarmed round, of course. It might have been the signal for a rio;. Instead, everyone was laughing. The situation became tense a' little later. The soldiers passed loyal, prodeportation resolutions, and ended their meeting. Most of the big crowd drifted homewards, but a couple of hundred merry Diggers decided to "go across, arid hear what the Irish were saying'' They approached a platform where one Father O'Reilly ws This priest's language—he is well-known for his. oratorical outbursts—is not exactly of the order that turns away wrath, and the Diggers did not like what they heard. So they counted him out, very heartily. Everyone laughed, except the small crowd close up near the platform, whence an angry buzz arose. The pries: persisted, so the Diggers counted him out again. His language, in their opinion, continued objectionable; so they formed themselves into a solid wedge, pushed through thg platform, ana took possession of it. There were a few' angry men about, but the Diggers were all laughing—so the crowd laughed, too. The Diggers, having captured the platform, did not know what to do with it. There was a dangerous pause—then a little solid square of police appeared, tipped the happy 'Diggers off the platform, and took possession. And everybody continued to laugh—the Diggers most ot all. Anti-deportation resolutions were adopted at the other platforms—an.l then the crowd drifted home. It had been a slow, by no means serious, and somewhat disappointing, afternoon. And this was presented in the newspapers nest day as "Nearly a Riot. Tense. Moments in Moore Park." Sydney crowds are ever the victims of an satiable thirst for headlio.9jt<