The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-03-29 00:00:00

ORANGE-M EN.

The fdllowing article is taken from "the it (Ante*" of
the hof March, in answer to niyarticle in the Sratse•
at or, of the Pith. The writer calls this latter 'my defence
Of the Orange System. In this be is wrong, I never
said a word in defence of it._ What I said wan WI,: that
that systentis neither more nor less than the • Ilt`nt4trent
• Paraon System-1
and, that either this latter would be
rotted out, or the Orange System must go on. This I
have always said ; and, when Irish Catholics have been
p',fessing to me, that they did not wish to see the Pro-
test Ant Church things meddled with, I have always told
h.tri. that 1 could riot understand what they would be at.
If they'really be thus forbearing in their wishes, they
are so much unlike me, that I have no idea of their views-
breve now lying before me an account of the Revenues
and of the Receivers of the Revenues of that Protestant
Church in a Catholic country; and, if I were an Irish
Catholic, could I, recollecting who were the founders of
Close revenues, ever rest satisfied while things are, in this
respect, as they are? However, I insert the article with•
out further remark, it being as much as the writer can
expect at my hands. If his arguments be the best, it is
tight that he should have the benefit of them. If they
do .not convince me, they may convince others. lam
Au sr, willing to give others fair play, though I so
sekkim get it myself. „ War.; sat Connarr.
• .-

Mr. Cobbett, Cobhett, in an article aader the head of" Orange-
men," which appeared in The Statesman of the tith in-
-stint, begins with the announcement of a most import-
ant • cireutn,tance--natnelv. that " he had been Just
reading an Irish paper called The Antidote." Of the
elthraeter of the principal'a writer (if it be not treason to
,the name of writer,) in i paper, the notorious Sir
Harcourt Len, Mr. Cobhett seems not unaware—a man
whose innocent credulity so butders on madness, .ind
whrise.fanatiCal passions so frequently excite the laugh-
ter of his readers, that unless the serious announce-
ment, onthe part of Mr. Cobbett, of hating consulted
such an authority, we 'know nothing better caleulated
ro make the community laugh more heartily than the
random fire which so often pours down from the columns
of our friend, Sir Harcourt Lees. Mr. Cobbett may
know, perhaps, a circumstance which is not so well
known to every Foolish reader respecting this clerical
T;o'itical writer, Sir Harcourt Lees: the ravings, and
ear and wand. rings of the poor Barouet's mind
l.ave been for the lust twelve months so extreme and so
a'apening, that his Brothers, who ar. so distinguished by.
their good sense, their gond feeling, and strict primilre
ty of demcanopr, were obliged, in defence of their m'yo'
character, though in the most delicate manner, to sepa-
rate that character from all rernsibility for the errors
of their fanatical Brother. '1 he advertisement appear-
ed in the Dublio papers, and Las contributed, certaip-
In to prevent that most painful confusion of persons
ohich might be injurious to persons placed in the high
ttd respectable station occupied by the Messrs. Lees of
the General post-Office; And yet, though Mr. Cobbett
seems to know his man, be thus speaks of the policy re-
commended by the said Sir Harcourt
" Wild as Sir Harcourt Lees appears to be and push:,
ire', as he appears, things to the other extreme, of the,
• ire, his policy is, certainly, the most likely to mays
sotitethlog like peace to Ireland." • •
-Mr. Cobbett then puts what he conceives to he the
'real question at issue this moment in Ireland—he thus
'Writes :
It is not a' quektkpn Of eonelllatitim 'or oon-concilia-
aloe s it is not a qutadioq of the more or the km. The
plain question "ball the gorerniog powerstran
the hands of the Protestants, or shall 'they be tr
red to the Catholics? This is the real question."
With great 'deference to Mr. Cobbett, this is not the
real qnestion. The real question at issue now is, Shall
tile Government of Ireland be the real representative of
the King of England, invested with all the powers that
Fing.eroays ? Shall he have the power to put iu force
the wishes of the King's Government of the British Em-
pire ? Or, shall he be sobjeet to the control of a third
power—an Orange Fa lion, or an Orange Ascendancy—
to he the mere register of their orders, and the humble
;notroment of their wishes ? It is not whether the power
of the country is to im transferred to Protestants or to
Catholics. 'the plain question is, is the King's Govern•
men in Ireland to•have any power in Ireland but that
which it derives from the Orange Ascendancy ? Hither-
to, it had not. Hitherto the Government and the people
of Ireland were subject to taskmasters, Orange and Pur-
ple, against whose authority it would be treason to • re-
bel. Wh a was the consequence ?—That Ireland bas
heett one field f discord, contention, and blood—petpe-
tool civil war, and never-ending dissension. That this
dissension should gain fresh strength—that the acrimony
and Malignity of a checked and disappointed domination
r-h•iuld increase by the first effort to restrain it, Mr. Cob-I
!sett should not wonder at. But is it because the Orango
Ascendancy no* writhes under the lash of power—is it
because it as goaded to madness by the manly decision
and intrepid deportment of the King's present Represen-
t -dive in !Ireland ?—We ask, is this a reason why no.ef-
fort should be made to put an pod to the pernicious pre-
d .minsnce of so destructive a power ? Mr. Cobbett
thiuks it a vain and hopeless work to reconcile the. Pro-
t set :we and Catholics--that it cannot be accomplished
ly any Irish. Government. His words are
All attempts to recpncile, Protestants and Catholics
by giving a little to the Catholics : by showing them
route degree of favour ; to itgrodnee them into power by
rfe 4reea, can only fewd to irritate and inflame. ethese • en-
&savours have produced the present state of things.--e
The Lord Lieutenant by endeavours to conciliate, has tie-
I utile thrown the country into such a state that it is ita-1
po.sible far some terrible crisis not to arise out of it, no-
less a change speedily take place."
• Mr. Cobbett is m'staken in point of !act. " Some de-
rm. of favour" has not been shown any Catholics as yet
by the Marquess of Wellesley. He has not introduced the
• Catholic into power, even by degrees--no Catholic has
received either place, or pension, or title. Therefor?,
prnurs of this nature has not crested the distinction of 1,
Which Mr. Cobbett complains. The favours which have
produced present state of things in Ireland (by-the-by
.7int half so horrifying as Mr. Cobbett represents) is the'
prevention of Orangemen repeating those public insults
•It.b' eh the brave, anal the wise, and the generous Lura-
y ably despise. The Marquess of Wellesley would not
saffer the Catholics of Dublin to be insulted by a drunk-
en, beggarly Corporation, whose annual prl and gio lory
i% was to dress and disfigure the statue of:
This was his great *fence, and there d mighty
Prow? conferred on the Catholic ; as it because—we
pat it sincerely to Mr. Cobbett—is it because Sir Har-
court Lees should, with his followers, run naked through
the streets of Dublin ? Is this a reason• why the King's
-Representative should not pot into execution the wishes
of the King. that equal and impartial justice should be
• done to his Iriela people—that no audacious faction should
rai4e its head ag dont his authority ; and particularly
•,,t.en the entectse of that authority was to protect and
s',elfrr the lOW wounded feelings of the great majority
01 the Irish nation? Whet crisis cats come so bad as
- that from which Ireland has emerged?—We put the
• eneation again to Mr. Cobbett, what crisis so terrible as
ttoit which saw Ireland at the foot of a contemptible
5). Loe Asceadancy ? IVe would prefer all the miseries
of ,inag
rrhy to the dead calm of such ruffian despotism.
Mr; Cobbett becomes a prophet—aud foretels that if

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