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SIR WILLIAM IRVINE IN SYDNEY.
Sydney, Aug. 2.
The Federal Attorney-General (Sir Wil-
liam Irvine) made references to the crisis in
the course of a speech delivered on Satur-
day night to a large gathering at Crow's
Nest. Sir William Irvine said that if ever
there was a time when the Australian peo-
ple should be united it was the present.
The world was on the brink of one of the
greatest convulsions of modern time. They
hoped still that Great Britain, that grand
old country from which they had sprung,
would not be drawn into the present ter-
rible conflict, but he was confident that the
people of Australia, no matter what might
be their political colour, desired to con-
vey to those statesmen who had the control
of affairs of empire the assurance that
whatever course they might adopt in the
present grave crisis they would have behind
them Australia's patriotic and loyal sup-
port. (Cheers.) They might be assured
that the Australian people would unite to
place their resources both of men and
money at the disposal of the statesmen of
the mother country. When England was at
war Australia was at war. (Applause.)
There was no halfway house. The destinies
of the country so far as foreign relations
were concerned are entrusted to statesmen
who were immediately responsible to Par
liament. They must take the matter as
they found it. The statesmen of England
were now charged with the terrible re-
sponsibilities of determining the issues of
peace and war for the good of the whole
of the people, and they as Australians
were not only bound to abide by their de-
cision but to give them every assistance
that lay in their power.
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