IRISH VOLUNTEERS TO PARADE IN THEIR CIVILIAN ATTIRE

The Butte Miner, Butte, 1915-03-16, p.3

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  • headlineHeadline (continued from page one)

  • reportJames J. Murphy's reply to Mayor Smith, continued from page one, with his signature

    James Joseph "James J." Murphy

  • name as printed"Your very respectfully, JAMES J. MURPHY, Co. Pres. A. O. H."

    James Joseph "James J." Murphy

  • reportNotice to Volunteers, signed "Commissioned Officers"

  • reportThe Mayor's Action, with the opening of Mayor Smith's letter

  • name as printedMayor Smith's letter addressed to "James J. Murphy, chairman of the committee on St. Patrick's day celebration"

    James Joseph "James J." Murphy

  • reportMayor Smith's letter, continued, signed "C. A. SMITH, Mayor"

  • reportThe Committees for the three halls

  • name as printedColiseum Hall reception committee, "James Cummins, James J. Murphy, …"

    James Joseph "James J." Murphy

Summary

"(Continued From Page One.)" St. Patrick's Day 1915 controversy: Mayor Smith of Butte instructed Chief of Police Jerry J. Murphy to ban the carrying of firearms by Irish Volunteers (Company A, 1st regiment of Butte's Irish Volunteers) in the city's St Patrick's parade. Reasoned in part by the concurrent World War, which had already triggered President Wilson's request that Americans refrain from public actions that might be construed as a violation of US neutrality (between German/Austrian and Allied sympathies in Butte). **Letter from "JAMES J. MURPHY, Co. Pres. A. O. H."** to the Butte Miner, printed verbatim alongside a "Notice to Volunteers" signed "Commissioned Officers." All members of Company A, I. V., are requested to assemble at Hibernia hall on Wednesday March 17 at 8:30am in citizen's clothes. **JJM's letter, key passage** (its opening is on page one): "[For 40] years the Hibernians have marched through the streets of the city of Butte on St. Patrick's day without causing the slightest infraction of the law or offending the sensibilities of any normal citizen. Your instructions prohibiting the carrying of firearms in this parade comes as a surprise, from the fact that we carried arms last year and on numerous other occasions without known opposition from any quarter. Therefore, your action at this time seems to me to be influenced by a few underground bigots. Regardless of that I have made known your instructions to the officers of the organization who contemplated carrying firearms. In conclusion I will state that the Hibernians always desire to preserve the peace and good order of the community. Should any trouble arise (and I don't see any reason for such) I assure you it will not originate from any individual or society in our parade." "Your very respectfully, JAMES J. MURPHY, Co. Pres. A. O. H." Mayor Smith's letter to JJM (printed in full alongside): cites "the proposed demonstration may be innocently patriotic, its effect might be to arouse enmities and inflame passions that Butte would be better and pleasanter without," President Wilson's appeal, and constitutional authority to prohibit "disorderly or offensive conduct." Closes: "your committee and the societies interested will accept this order in the spirit it is intended — that is, to preserve the peace and good order of the community." **St Patrick's Day committee list** (the page is also a list-of- officers exhibit): A. O. H. Hall Reception — Judge J. J. Lynch chairman, John J. Crowley, James J. McCarthy, Con J. Murphy, John C. Murphy, John K. O'Rourke, T. J. McCarthy, John O'Leary. Floor — Walter J. Sewell, John J. McCarthy, Dan Leahy, Morty McCarthy, Joe Finnegan, James Connolly. Door — Tim Lyons, D. J. Harrington, Bat Riley, P. J. Sullivan, Andrew Mackey. Pallas Hall Reception — John Sweeney, Martin Joyce, P. J. Kelly, Hugh Haughin, Thomas Keely, James P. Griffin, W. P. McCarthy, P. Boland. Floor — Tom Collins, P. H. Kenny, Thomas Kenny, Pat Doran, Maurice McDonough, Vincent Doyle, Thomas McGivney, Joe Maginn. Door — Pat T. Shea, John Connelly, Ed Lawlor, W. J. Strainey. Coliseum Hall Reception — James Cummins, James J. Murphy [DISTINCT? — see note], James J. Connolly, T. J. Leary, P. J. Boyle, Pat Lee, Dan McGarvey, John H. Page. Floor — Barney McVeigh, Dan McBride, John Bonner, Con Bonner, Dan D. Crowley, Charles H. Gallagher. Door — John R. Murphy, Michael D. Boyle, Owen Dever, P. F. Casey, John Owens. **Germans to Take Part.** Committee announces that the German- Austrian Relief society will participate in every event of the Hibernians' St. Patrick's day program at the hall and at St. Mary's church. A call issued for the affiliated organization to meet at 8:30am Wednesday at the German hall on North Main street and march in a body to Hibernia hall, Centerville, where they will unite with the Irish societies to march to St. Mary's church. (Followed by the filler line "The Miner want ad page is the place for you every want.") ARCHIVE SIGNIFICANCE. (a) **JJM's signed published letter to a Butte mayor**. The most extensive verbatim quotation of JJM's own voice anywhere in the archive so far. Tone is principled, pugnacious ("influenced by a few underground bigots"), and formally civic. (b) Mayor Smith's police chief is named "Jerry J. Murphy" — Jere J. Murphy (= person_jere_j_murphy_butte_ police_chief_1922) confirmed as Butte Chief of Police as early as 1915, not just 1922. Two distinct J. Murphys debating through Mayor Smith. (c) Cross-cultural Butte detail: German- Austrian Relief society marches in St Patrick's parade 1915 — eight months into World War, and on the eve of the Lusitania.

In its time

Narrative

Mayor Charles A. Smith instructs Chief of Police Jerry J. Murphy that firearms, concealed or exposed, will be barred from the St. Patrick's day parade in Butte, writing to James J. Murphy, county president of the A. O. H. and chairman of the celebration committee, that a uniformed and armed demonstration joined by German and Austrian societies might inflame passions and breach President Wilson's call for neutrality. Murphy replies that the Hibernians have paraded for years without incident and carried arms the previous year, attributing the order to "a few underground bigots," but passes the instruction on, and the commissioned officers of Company A, Irish Volunteers, call the company to Hibernian hall on March 17 in citizens' clothes. German and Austrian societies and the German-Austrian relief society announce they will take part in every event, assembling at the German hall and marching to Hibernia hall and on to St. Patrick's church, Centerville; reception, floor and door committees are named for dances at A. O. H., Pallas and Coliseum halls.

  • “your action at this time seems to me to be influenced by a few underground bigots”
  • “its effect might be to arouse enmities and inflame passions that Butte would be better off without”
  • “Members will appear in citizens' clothes.”

AI-generated (claude-opus-5). Verify against the transcription before quoting.

People

Also mentioned

  • Mayor Charles A. Smith · butte_mayor_issued_firearms_ban

    Mayor of Butte March 1915 — initials given only in his signature 'C. A. Smith, Mayor.'

  • President Wilson · federal_neutrality_appeal_cited

    Woodrow Wilson; cited as authority for the firearms ban via his appeal to refrain from public demonstrations.

  • Morty McCarthy · st_pats_floor_committee
  • Joe Finnegan · st_pats_floor_committee
  • Tim Lyons · st_pats_door_committee
  • Bat Riley · st_pats_door_committee
  • Andrew Mackey · st_pats_door_committee
  • John Sweeney · pallas_hall_reception
  • Hugh Haughin · pallas_hall_reception
  • James P. Griffin · pallas_hall_reception
  • P. Boland · pallas_hall_reception
  • Pat Doran · pallas_hall_floor_committee
  • Thomas McGivney · pallas_hall_floor_committee
  • Joe Maginn · pallas_hall_floor_committee
  • W. J. Strainey · pallas_hall_door_committee
  • James J. Murphy (Coliseum Hall) · coliseum_hall_reception

    PROBABLY THE SAME JJM (already named as letter author). The committee distribution suggests JJM as county president would have been spread across venues. But if he is the writer, attending the Coliseum reception alongside Cummins and signing a separate letter is plausible. Possibly a second James J. Murphy. Held conservatively as the same person.

  • James J. Connolly · coliseum_hall_reception
  • T. J. Leary · coliseum_hall_reception
  • Pat Lee · coliseum_hall_reception
  • Dan McGarvey · coliseum_hall_reception
  • John H. Page · coliseum_hall_reception
  • Barney McVeigh · coliseum_hall_floor_committee
  • Dan McBride · coliseum_hall_floor_committee
  • John Bonner · coliseum_hall_floor_committee
  • Con Bonner · coliseum_hall_floor_committee
  • Dan D. Crowley · coliseum_hall_floor_committee
  • Michael D. Boyle · coliseum_hall_door_committee
  • Owen Dever · coliseum_hall_door_committee
  • P. F. Casey · coliseum_hall_door_committee
  • John Owens · coliseum_hall_door_committee

Places

Themes

Story threads

Tags

Source type

news_item, letter_to_editor, list_of_officers

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Transcription
transcription: complete · confidence high
# IRISH VOLUNTEERSIreland: movements, law & landIrish Volunteersfounded 1913The nationalist militia formed in Dublin in November 1913 in answer to the Ulster Volunteers. A minority of it carried out the 1916 Rising; it became the Irish Republican Army.More in Key terms → TO PARADE IN THEIR CIVILIAN ATTIRE *The Butte Miner, Tuesday, March 16, 1915, p. 1, cols. 1-2 (foot of the page), continued on p. 3, cols. 1-3.* ## Page one # Irish Volunteers to Parade in Their Civilian Attire; Refute Mayor's Insinuations Acquiescing to the request of Mayor C. A. Smith as to not carrying arms in the forthcoming St. Patrick's day parade, and yet taking decided exception to his insinuations regarding the exact attitude and real patriotism of the organization, the Irish Volunteers of Butte, at a meeting last night, officially decided not to appear in the parade in uniform or carrying their regular organization arms, but to march in civilian attire. The following letter of reply from President James J. Murphy of the Ancient Order of HiberniansIrish societiesAncient Order of Hiberniansin America from 1836The largest Irish Catholic fraternal order in America: sick and death benefits for members, St. Patrick’s Day parades, and steady support for Irish nationalism.More in Key terms → to Mayor Smith speaks very forcibly for itself and is as follows: "Butte, Mont., March 15, 1915. "Hon. Clarence A. Smith, Mayor of the City of Butte, State of Montana. "Dear Sir: Replying to your letter of this day I wish to state that you have been misinformed as to the purpose of the St. Patrick's day parade. It is not intended as a Teutonic demonstration against the allies, or anyone else. In several similar occasions in the past the Austrian societies, at least, paraded with the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and why not now? "Furthermore, citizens of Irish, German and Austrian extractions have made as earnest an effort to live up to President Wilson's request for absolute neutrality in the European war as citizens of other extractions, and will, I am sure, continue to do so. "Your appeal to the men who contemplate taking part in the parade to refrain from disorderly or offensive conduct is altogether unnecessary. For 40 (Continued on Page Three—Col. One.) ## Page three # IRISH VOLUNTEERS TO PARADE IN THEIR CIVILIAN ATTIRE *(Continued From Page One.)* years the Hibernians have marched through the streets of the city of Butte on St. Patrick's day without causing the slightest infraction of the law or offending the sensibilities of any normal citizen. Your instructions prohibiting the carrying of firearms in this parade comes as a surprise, from the fact that we carried arms last year and on numerous other occasions without known opposition from any quarter. Therefore, your action at this time seems to me to be influenced by a few underground bigots. Regardless of that I have made known your instructions to the officers of the organization who contemplated carrying firearms. In conclusion I will state that the Hibernians always desire to preserve the peace and good order of the community. Should any trouble arise (and I don't see any reason for such)' I assure you it will not originate from any individual or society in our parade. "Your very respectfully, "JAMES J. MURPHY. "Co. Pres. A. O. H." An advertisement was inserted in the Miner by the commissioned officers of the Irish Volunteers and appears in today's Miner, requesting the company to assemble in civilian clothes. The notice reads as follows: ## "Notice to Volunteers! "All members of Company A, I. V., are requested to assemble at Hibernia hallIrish societiesHibernia HallThe meeting hall of Butte’s Hibernians and a venue for other Irish societies; meeting notices name it again and again.More in Key terms → on Wednesday, March 17, at 8:30 o'clock in the morning. Members will appear in citizen's clothes. (Signed) "Commissioned Officers." ## The Mayor's Action. Mayor Smith yesterday instructed Chief of Police Jerry J. Murphy regarding firearms on St. Patrick's day. He also addressed the following letter to James J. Murphy, chairman of the committee on St, Patrick's day celebration: "I am informed that in preparation for a St. Patrick's day demonstration next Wednesday arrangements are being made for a military parade in uniform and bearing arms; also that German and Austrian societies have been invited to take part in the parade, the idea being to make a Teutonic demonstration against the English and their allies. While the purpose back of this proposed demonstration may be innocently patriotic, its effect might be to arouse enmities and inflame passions that Butte would be better and pleasanter without. "President Wilson has wisely urged the American people to refrain from public demonstrations concerning the European situation that might be construed as a violation of either the spirit or letter of American neutrality. It is to be hoped that Butte will not be the first American city to foment national prejudices that might lead to consequences more serious than can now be contemplated. "So far as a public parade, the carrying of flags and wearing of uniforms is concerned, I am not disposed, even if I possessed the right to prohibit. In this connection I can only appeal to the good sense and good citizenship of those participating to refrain from disorderly or offensive conduct. "As insurance for the peace and good order of the community, the carrying of firearms, either concealed or exposed, in connection with this or any other public demonstration on the streets of Butte will be prohibited, unless such arms are in the hands of the regularly constituted authorities. I will instruct the chief of police to see that this order is complied with. "Trusting that your committee and the societies interested will accept this order in the spirit it is intended—that is, to preserve the peace and good order of the community—I am "Yours very truly, "C. A. SMITH, Mayor." ## Germans to Take Part. Announcement was made yesterday that all German and Austrian societies in Butte and the German-Austrian Relief society would participate in every event of the Hibernians' St. Patrick's day program, both at the hall and at St. Mary's church. A call was issued for the affiliated organization to meet at 8:30 o'clock tomorrow morning at the German hall on North Main street and march in a body to Hibernia hall, CentervilleButte: companies, unions & placesCentervilleThe hillside neighbourhood between uptown Butte and Walkerville, built among the mine yards and home to many Irish and Cornish mining families.More in Key terms →, where they will unite with the Irish societies to march to St. Mary's church. The following committees have been appointed to have charged of the events at the three halls where dancing is to be enjoyed tomorrow night: ## The Committees. A. O. H. Hall—Reception: Hon. Judge J. J. Lynch, John J. Crowley, James J. McCarthy, Con J. Murphy, John C. Murphy, John K. O'Rourke, T. J. McCarthy, John O'Leary. Floor—Walter J. Sewell, John J. McCarthy, Dan Leahy, Morty McCarthy, Joe Finnegan, James Connolly. Door—Tim Lyons, D. J. Harrington, Bat Riley, P. J. Sullivan, Andrew Mackey. Pallas Hall—Reception: John Sweeney, Martin Joyce, P. J. Kelly, Hugh Haughin, Thomas Keely, James P. Griffin, W. P. McCarthy, P. Boland. Floor—Tom Collins, P. H. Kenny, Thomas Kenny, Pat Doran, Maurice McDonough, Vincent Doyle, Thomas McGivney, Joe Maginn. Door—Pat T. Shea, John Connelly, Ed Lawlor, W. J. Strainey. Coliseum Hall — Reception: James Cummins, James J. Murphy, James J. Connolly, T. J. Leary, P. J. Boyle, Pat Lee, Dan McGarvey, John H. Page. Floor—Barney McVeigh, Dan McBride, John Bonner, Con Bonner, Dan D. Crowley, Charles H. Gallagher. Door—John R. Murphy, Michael D. Boyle, Owen Dever, P. F. Casey, John Owens. *[Text checked against the page scan at 3x (Gallagher, Bonner and the committee line at 6x), 21 Oct 2026, starting from the tile-by-tile page reading of 20-21 Oct 2026. Replaces a reordered reconstruction. Kept as printed: "Your very respectfully", the stray quote mark in "such)'", "St, Patrick's", "have charged of".]* *[Page one added 21 Oct 2026 from the page record `1915-03-16_butte-miner_p01` (tile-by-tile reading of 20-21 Oct 2026), checked word for word against the dossier crop `research/docs/jjm-dossier-2026-09-26/crops/1915-03-16_butte-miner-p1_letter-to-mayor-from-president-james-j-murphy.png`.]*

Dotted underlines mark key terms on first mention — hover or tab to one for a reference note. The wording is the source’s own.

Open questions

  • themes world_war_one and municipal_politics — confirm exist in /vocab/themes.yaml or add.
  • Mayor "C. A. Smith" — promote to a person record for the Butte civic-life chapter? Mayor March 1915.
  • The Coliseum Hall "James J. Murphy" — same person as the letter author (and county president), or a third James J. Murphy? Holding as same-person provisionally.

Source ID: 1915-03-16_butte-miner_irish-volunteers-civilian-attire-jjm-letter

On page: 1915-03-16_butte-miner_p03

Clipped by lukedmurphy on 2020-10-05.