The Irish standard., 1893-01-07
THE ORANGEMEN.
The Origin, Aims, Principles and In
EQUITIES Of Orangeism Sue
cinctly Set Forth.
AN INFAMOUS ORGANIZATION

a Banditti Of Murderers Commit :
ting Massacres in the Name Of
God and Liberty.
One Of the foulest blots on Ireland g
history is the formation Of the Orange
Society, whose baleful influence has
been telt for the past century in that
persecuted land. Nor has the deepicable
society confined itself to tho land of it's
origin; it's growth and it's power Of arons.
ing the passions Of religious bigotry and
racial animosity have been seen and felt
TO marked extent in Canada and the
United States. It seems impossible to
root out the society and it's influences
because it seems impossible to root out
from some minds the intense hatred Of
all persons and things which bear the
stamp Of Irish and Catholic.
The origin OF this unnatural society
has been attributed to various sources.
Attempts have been made to show that
its founder was William III, but this is
easily refuted by writer in the Dublin
Freeman's Journal. This writer thus
gives the history of the foundation of
the society, together with a few ofits mo
bio" acts: Sir Richard Musgrave, Bit
terly anti Catholic and anti Irish writer.
states in his history Of Ireland, and states
truly, that the first Orange loe ge was
founded in commenloratlon OF the "Bat
tie of the Diamond in l7s5 in the county
ofArmagh. The condition of ireland at
the time was most deplorable. In some
OF the counties, and in Armagh especi-
ally, secret oath bound society pre-
vailed among the Protestant settlers with
the object principally OF preventing Ro-
mar Catholics, who were small minor
ity in the county, from entering into
oompetition with them in the taking Of
farms and as weavers. Tho society was
known by it's members as the "Peep OF
Day Boys" because of the visits they
paid by dawn of morning to houses Of
Catholics to terrorize the occupants into
leaving the district. Sir Richard Mus
grave admits the Peep of Day Boys
committed the most wanton outrages on
the Catholics during these visits insult
ing their persons, breaking their furni-
sure, and demolishing their homesteads
The Catholics very appropriately called
them ''Wreckers," and forming secret
society themselves for the protection OF
their lives and properties, they gave it the
name of ''Defenders,". These terms
1'Wreckers" and Defenders" which
have been accepted by ali historians,
ara, think, of great significance as il
Illustrating the attitude towards each
other of the two parties, and as pointing
ont the side that began this fratricidal
strife in Ireland.
'aThe Diamond" where the famous
battle was fought on Sept 81, 1895, is a
place with a few houses, where four roads
meet, a short distance outside the city of
Armagh The battle was an atfray be-
tween the .'Wreckers" and "Defenders.' .
1t seems that ON the 10th or 18th OF Sep
temher the Defenders" got information
that the house Of Catholic named Dug
gan, near Armagh, was about to be at
sacked by the ''Wreckers," and they as
eembled in force to protect it. In the
encounter which followed three lives
wers lost. During the ensuing two weeks
several Catholic houses were wrecked.
On he 21st OF September large bodies Of
A'Wreckerss and defenders" armed with
guns and pitohforks, met together at the
Diamond, and fight followed, in which
the Catholics were overwhelmed by force
OF numbers and arms they had only the
pitohforks- and about thirty OF them,
men, women and children, were killed.
On the evening of the battle the first
Grange lodge was, according to Colonel
Blacker of the Armagh militia, and dep
uty lieutenant OF the county . man who
has written some Of the best and most
stirring OF the Orange ballads estab-
lished at the house of ono James Sloan,
at . plaee called Loughill, near the Dia-
mond. Lieutenant Colonel Werner, Ne.
=. !, who was also examined before the
sslect committee, was asked, aWas there
my Orange institution in existence pre-
3 ,vious to 1855 in any other form z and he
replied, 'Nons. Now, the gentleman
ought TO have known, Tor he was q Orange
deputy grand master &c thae, tim1yes of hia
Z, exanlinat = ation md u couple of years
,atter 4 4 the u 1llnation be was removed
The y c,n = ioa of the peaoe md
q osa G. the puty lisutens,ats for# i
lls T. 'll' 81 = 8 II lforpesh,
l!I1l| nv 4 ls I'm !! 81 MI, the lLelbourne
r. l113|l.l g1 igl i lII'l ofion 81