| Title: | Crommelin Irwin, Newgrove, Ireland, to editor of the Record |
|---|---|
| ID | 1526 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Irwin, Crommelin/42 |
| Year | 1870 |
| Sender | Irwin, Crommelin |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | Protestant |
| Origin | Newgrove, Munster?, Ireland |
| Destination | unknown |
| Recipient | the editor of The Record |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | Irwin writes to a newspaper about Orangism |
| Source | The Belfast News-Letter, Monday, 10 January, 1870 |
| Archive | The Central Library, Belfast |
| Doc. No. | 201128 |
| Date | 10/01/1870 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LET |
| Log | Document added by LT, Td by Stephen Perrott, 07:01 |
| Word Count | 522 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | THE STATE OF IRELAND TO THE EDITOR OF THE RECORD SIR - I was much surprised to read the following remarks in your paper of the 15th inst. After noticing the land question in the opening of your issue, you say:- "The destruction of the Irish Church has not only alienated the North of Ireland from the Government and Mr. Gladstone, but has made the Orangemen become passive co-operators with the Fenians in their schemes for the overthrow of all authority in Ireland. This is a grave fact, and it is all the more serious because its gravity has not yet been fully perceived." It is most unfair to charge the Orangemen of Ireland with passive co-operation with Fenianism. The Fenian movements are in every way oppossed to the spirit of Orangeism. You found your opinion on the statements that were made at the Dublin meeting the other day, but you misunderstand the case - Orangemen have no objection to the return of Rossa, not that they approve of his political opinions, much less of his Fenian tactics, but because that return proves, more than anything else could have done, the position that the Gladstone Government has brought our unfortunate country into. An extract from a speech of Mr. Wm. Johnston, M.P., on this point, delivered in Belfast on the 24th inst. at the Orange Hall, as reported in the News-Letter of that date, will explain to you what I believe to be the opinion of Orangemen generally on this head:- "The welfare of the Orange Institution, and its extension and progress, I am certain is the object you all have most at heart, as the means of maintaining the Protestant cause, the upholding of the Legislative Union between Great Britain and Ireland, and the maintaining of her Majesty's sovereignty over that grand old British Empire that Popes and Cardinals would be glad to see humbled in the dust, but that, whilst Protestantism prevails in it, Gold helping us, shall never be the case; and, entertaining these views, I feel that, while the Government acts in hostility to the Orangemen of Ireland, it is no part of our duty to draw a sword or fire a shot between them and the Fenians. It is our duty to stand and maintain our own cause, for we are not called to go after the Orange flag in the battle-field in defence of a Government that despises us, illtreats us, and perhaps would like to use us, if they could get us to do their dirty work of spies and panderers - a work that the Orangemen of Ireland will never lend themselves to." These remarks don't show that the Orangemen of Ireland are "passive co-operators with the Fenians in their schemes for the overthrow of all authority in Ireland." Ireland - and England as well - may be thankful that they have such a goodly band of faithful men to both law and order as the Orange body. Had successive Governments shown fair play to the Protestant party, and not thrown cold water on them for the purpose of catching the Papist vote, this country would not be torn to pieces as it is. CROMMELIN IRWIN. Newgrove, Ireland, Dec. 29. 1869. [The words of which our correspondent complains were distinctly marked as a quotation from a contemporary. - ED. Record] (Transcribed by Stephen Perrott) |
