The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-09-06

The Orange Excitement IN Canada.
The events now transporting in Canada, which
bid fair to cut short the hitherto very successful
tour Of the Prince of Wales through that pro-
vince, occur aptly to remind us that, whatever
sanguine philosophers may pretend, the days
Of bigotry and religious strife are not ever yet.
1t seems that the OraDgemen, large and infu-
entail body Of Proteetants, mainly recruited
from immigrants from the North of Ireland, in.
sist upon being recognized by the Prince In
their sectarian and partisan character, aud
upon carrying in the procession Of welcome to
his Royal Highness badges and symbols which
the Roman Catholics consider offensive. To
these demands the Princes advisers return the
plain reply that he will recognise no sectarian
or partisan body whatsoever, and that II he
cannot be received without passing under
Orange arches or marching. behind Orange flags,
be will not land at all
No one can find fault with the Prince for
this conduct AT the same time it Is not
likely to satisfy the Canadian Orangemen,
who are very hotheaded and obstinate Sc.
Of men, and whose hatred Of Popery and at
tachment to their peculiar sect are intense
and fanatical. II would not be surprising II
the broil into which the Prince has thus uncon-
sciously fallen should terminate his tour
abruptly, and occasion scenes Of disturbance
and bloodshed which all would have to deplore.
There is one thing to be sald In excuse Of
the extremely bigoted and fanatical attitude Of
the OraDgemen. They are Protestants-a ma
jority in their province-and yet they are ruled
despotically by Roman Catholics The union
of Upper and Lower Canada under the impe-
rial act of ls4l practically gave to the Lower
province the control Of the Upper, notwith.
standing the vast progress which the latter is
making in population and wealth. The Lower
Canadian members Of Parliament are all, or
nearly all, Roman Catholics, and hold together
on all public questions with q tenacity which
the members from Upper Canada have never
tried to emulate. II Is generally supposed
probably on very good grounds-that the poll.
cy of the Lower Canadian party is settled before
Parliament meets in the palace of the Roman
Catholic Archbishop; any member who bolted,
or deviated from the policy thus settled, would
be a political corpse from the hour Of his
rebellion. The Roman Catholic hierarchy
not only rule the united province through the
arm of superstition; their wealth gives them q
power in Lower Canada for parallel to which
we must turn to Mexico. They own most Of
the cities Of Montreal, Quebec, Three Rivers,
&C.; nearly all the fertile seigniories along the
st. Lawrence, and the bulk of the choice lands
throughout the province. Sometimes the title
Is vested in biehop, sometimes in q presby-
terry, sometimes in seminary, sometimes in
nunnery, sometimes in q curate; but 10 the end
II all comes to the same being-the land be-
longs to the Church.
1t 10 the natural rebellion against the enor.
nous power thus held by the Roman Catholic
Church, in virtue Of their wealth. their land, and
their complete sway over nearly two millions
Of devoted adhesents, which has given birth to
such bodies q the Orangemen Of Upper Canada.
And, however deplorable such displays a. that
now occurring on Lake Ontario may seem to
calm observers, 1t u TO be feared they will con-
tinue to recur, with frequent outbursts Of vio-
lence and savage bigotry, until the great fight
between the Church and the people-which was
long since fought and won In all Anglo-Saxon
countries-bas bee6 also fought and won in
Lower Canada
H. n..u MIA -.