GREATEST OF ALL ST. PATRICK'S DAY CELEBRATIONS AIDS CAUSE OF INDEPENDENCE FOR IRELAND

# GREATEST OF ALL ST. PATRICK'S DAY CELEBRATIONS AIDS CAUSE OF INDEPENDENCE FOR IRELAND ## Gigantic Parade, Mass Meeting and Religious Services Feature Memorable Program—Women and Children in Line—Resolutions Demand Recognition of Republic. *The Anaconda Standard, Thursday morning, March 18, 1920, p. 1, cols. 3-5 (photograph, headline and story in cols. 3-4; committee box in col. 5).* --- [Boxed caption over the photograph, cols. 3-5:] Great Throng at Courthouse Approving Resolutions on Independence of Ireland [Photograph: the crowd at the Butte courthouse; a placard at upper left is only partly legible in the halftone.] Close to 10,000 Butte residents of Irish nativity or sympathies participated in a gigantic parade and mass meeting yesterday. It was a demonstration that differed from other St. Patrick's day celebrations in Butte. With the cause of Irish freedom ringing from one end of the country to the other, with the Irish bond drive on in full swing, men, women and children of Butte turned out to show that they stood back of the great movement to the limit of their resources. Last night, Butte leaders, rightly enthused over the events of the day, telegraphed to the East that Butte was with the cause to the finish. Banners proclaimed where they stood. Every organization carried one high above the heads of the marchers. The sun was bright overhead, but the cold wind cut sharply into the faces of those in the great parade. It was an outpouring remarkable in more ways than one. Women and children were there with fathers and sons. At their head marched the Rev. M. J. Hannan, pastor of St. Mary's church, with the boys' band connected with the school. Father Hannan saw very few faces of women and children of St. Mary's parish missing when he glanced back over the long lines of bright-faced school children and their parents, each wearing the colors of the Irish republic. ### Where They Stand. "You can see where St. Mary's parish stands on the Irish question," said the priest with a vave [sic] of his hand toward the hundreds in line behind him. Likewise it was a demonstration that did credit to the men who arranged it, as well as to those who took part. Irish societies turned out with none missing from the ranks who were able to march. Dignified in every way, it gave the people of Butte a new viewpoint of Ireland's ancient battle. Although the time for the parade to start from the federal building was scheduled at 2 o'clock, crowds began to gather on North Main street shortly after noon and long before the different organizations had formed in line the entire street was crowded with spectators. ### Recognize Republic. Resolutions unanimously adopted at the gigantic mass meeting at the courthouse called for the immediate recognition of the Irish republic by the government of the United States and pledged the support of the local organizations unequivocally to the Irish cause. Beginning with special masses in the Catholic churches in the morning, the events of the day concluded with largely attended dances at various halls about the city in the evening. It is believed that it was the biggest celebration ever held in the state on St. Patrick's day. A feature of the celebration was the mammoth parade, starting from the federal building at 2 o'clock and traversing the principal streets of the city to the courthouse, where a mass meeting was held. In line were thousands of supporters of the Irish cause, representing every society of Irish membership in the city. Headed by huge American and Irish flags, with a color guard of returned soldiers in uniform, the parade was in motion promptly at the hour set. Following the flags were Marshal James E. Murray and his aids, the first organization in line being the returned soldiers of the American Legion in uniform. Next in line was the fife [a]nd drum corps of the Pierce-Connolly club, the shrilling fifes and resounding drums with their martial music awakening enthusiasm in the vast crowd of spectators. Through streets crowded with thousands of spectators, suspending all traffic and blocking the avenues until the marchers had only a narrow space in which to move onward, the line of march was continued. Every organization in line was headed by American and Irish flags and every marcher wore the shamrock of Ireland, until the entire column, extending over many blocks, was a blaze of green. ### Automobiles a Feature. Following the marching men, women and children were hundreds of gayly-decorated automobiles, representative of the citizens of Butte generally and not giving allegiance to any organization. The column of paraders, marching four abreast, required over 30 minutes to pass a given point, and long before the automobiles in the rear were in motion at the federal building the leading organizations had passed from view many blocks down the street. Features of the parade which brought wild applause from the spectators were banners of the different organizations, with inscriptions setting forth the cause of Irish freedom. Some of the slogans which were prominently displayed were as follows: "Ireland is the only white nation (Continued on Page 7, Column 3.) [continued on p. 7, col. 3; not in the archive] --- ## MEN WHO MADE DAY BIG SUCCESS [Boxed, col. 5.] The following is the membership of the St. Patrick's day committees, whose efforts made possible the record-breaking celebration: ### General. John J. Caplis, chairman; J. M. Brown, secretary; W. J. Sewell, treasurer; M. J. McDonough, John Gibben [sic], P. J. Boyle, J. J. Murphy, J. J. Lynch, Anthony Sullivan, W. E. Deeney, T. J. McCarthy. ### Hall Managers. 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 →, M. J. McDonough; Pallas hall, James J. Murphy; Knights of ColumbusFraternal & benefit ordersKnights of Columbusfounded 1882Catholic men’s fraternal benefit society, founded in New Haven, Connecticut.More in Key terms → hall, T. J. McCarthy; Odeon hall, J. J. Caplis. ### Door Committees. Hibernia—Con P. Sullivan, Dan Lynch, Henry O'Connell and D. J. Harrington. Pallas—N. J. Strangey, Anthony Lavelle, Tom Burke. Knights of Columbus—Owen Ryan, Anthony Sullivan, P. J. Boyle. Odeon—Ed Lawler, Ed Mul[e?]rone, Patrick Craig. The reception committees follow: Hibernia—J. K. O'Rourke, Michael Bolton, John Green, W. Sewell, J. J. Lynch, John Gribben; John O'Leary, W. E. Deeney, James Brennan, John O'Sullivan, John Connell, R. R. Kilroy, Walter Breen, J. J. McCarthy, Tim Leary. Pallas—C. J. Bonner, J. J. Byrne, John McCole, Thomas Gilmore, John P. McQuaid, John K. Sullivan, P. F. Cleary, Andrew Connell, John J. McCarthy, C. H. Gallagher, Charles Kennedy, Larry Duggan, Harry Thompson. Knights of Columbus—James E. Murray, J. R. Jackson, J. L. Hannifin, J. J. Harrington, D. J. Coleman, D. J. O'Donnough, Hugh Daly, J. M. Brown, P. J. Brophy, Bernard O'Donnell, Ed Fitzpatrick, D. M. Kelly, Dan T. Malloy, Thomas O'Rourke, John C. Murphy. Odeon—Thomas Dowling, James J. Connolly, Ed Connolly, Vincent Alton, M. J. Conway, M. P Drohan, Dan Bonner, M. F. Kiley, James P. Larkin, Barry O'Leary, John McManus, L. P. Donovan, J. J. McCaffery, M. J. English, J. B. Mulcahy, Joseph Murray. *[Text checked against the page scan at 2.5-3x (Mul[e?]rone and Malloy at 8x), 21 Oct 2026, starting from the tile-by-tile page reading of 20-21 Oct 2026 (Sonnet) and the Opus reading of the Irish items, which agree except at "fife [a]nd" (the a is not printed; a gap stands in its place), "Mul[e?]rone" and "Mal[l?]oy". The earlier text of this file, from an OCR pass, carried paragraphs and subheads from other stories on the page and a committee list that is not on the page; it has been replaced entirely. The same committee lists appear in the Butte Miner of 16 March 1920, p. 12 (clipping 1920-03-16_butte-miner_st-patricks-committees-irish-freedom), with small differences.]*