LOYAL ORANGEMEN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1143, 2 June 1911, Page 2

LOYAL ORANGEMEN.

A MISUNDERSTANDING. THE CORONATION PROCESSION. TOWN CLERK EXPLAINS. Explanations were, tendered at the City Council meeting last night in regard to a misunderstanding which had threatened to mar the harmony of the arrangements for the Coronation procession. In a letter to the Town Clerk (Mr. ,T. I!. Palmer) the district secretary of the Loyal Orange Institution had referred to the refusal, of the Mayor (Mr. T. M. Wilford) to allow members to participate in the Coronation procession, and stated that, at a special meeting of the District Executive of the institution, specially convened for the purpose of considering the position, the following resolution wa& carried unanimously.— "That we deeply regret the action of his "Worship the Alayor (Mr. T. M. Wilford) and the Town Clerk (Mr. J. R. Palmer) in refusing permission for the members of the Loyal Orango Institution to hike part in the Coronation procession. As loyal subjects of His Most Gracious Majesty King George V, residents of the Dominion of New Zealand, respected and lawabiding members of the Wellington community, we respectfully, but" no less emphatically, enter our protest against the decision of the officials referred to. However, in deference to the expressed wish of Mr. Wilford, as Chief Magistrate, and Mr. Palmer, as Town Clerk, we have decided as a body to take no part in the public demonstration of Coronation Day."

The writer set forth the circumstances that compelled , the institution to take up its present attitude. 'In response to a request by the Mayor," he said, "and published in the "local papers inviting the representatives of societies, lodges, clubs, etc., to meet at a given, time and place for the purpose of making arrangements for the Coronation celebration, I was authorised bv my District Lodge to attend and represent the Loyal Orange Institution, and did so. ] stated at the meeting our willingness to take part in tho proceedings, and my name as representative was, with others, entered in a book by Mr 1 aimer. For some reason, however, it was withheld from the newspapers' report, lollowing this meeting, 1 was in! taTOwcd by sl:r. Wilford and Mr. Palmer. The subject matter of cur conmsation need not be repeated here. On ■uiw 5 ' y * 1 ?- ceivod " iettor ' m «kod H ff ffi "questing my attendance at the office of- the Town Clerk. Mr Palmer then stated, amongst other thin-s' that 1 mu st not ~tt eml fhe .' { representatives of- the various lodges and clubs to be held the following week, t a lie would put it to the vote of tho- ist?n T |ed i"n th6y >'' imy objection' to the Loyal Orange Institution taking part in the procession and, further, made the suggestion that the Orangemen should apC" ?FFadew ade . mcnl b=« of the Protestant. Alliance Friendly Society • M^t'ti 1 " 1 ?"' 01, !^ 311 '- I,almcr 's contention aiat the Uyal Orange Institution was not invited because it was not a Friendly SoSift f P n o 1 m ! that the »»e applied to the Savation Army, 1.0. G.T., lootball, cricket, and hockey clubs and similar societies and associations. AVe were there in response to a general invitation that embraces-or should do-all classes, sections, and societies. 1 further pointed out tho unfairness of submittine the matter to a vote of other representat fives, and claimed equal rights and privieges lurihcr the suggestion put forth by Mr. Palmer that we should turn out as members of the the Protestant \lliance •riendly Society would be unfair and imIruthful both to the Protestant 'Alliance and ourselves, and place both parties in a false position. The Loyal Orange Institution in every part of the world are taking their rightful place with other sections ot tho community in celebrating the Coronation in a suitable manner. In Cnristchurch the lodges are not onlv taking part in the demonstration, but are spending over ,£lO in exterior decoration and illumination of the Orango Hall in Worcester Street. So far as I am aware, Wellington is the only place where objection is raised, and it is sincerely to be regretted that the chief officials of our civic life lack the moral courage to carry out the important duties pertaining to their high office without exhibiting bias and partiality." DISCUSSION AT CITY COUNCIL. • STATEMENT BY THE MAYOR. When the letter l\ad been read at last night's meeting of the City Council, tho Mayor said' he was never interviewed' by Mr. Brown, and the latter never had anv conversation with him. The statement in the letter that there had been such an interview was absolutely contrary to tact. The Orange Institution had never been barred from taking part in the procession. Jfr. Brown attended a meeting which was held in the Mayor's room to choose a marshal who would form up the friendly societies' part of the procession at the Basin Reserve—not to form up the whole procession, for different bodies would start from different places. No society which wished to take par 1 , in the procession would be barred, and there was never anv attempt to bar anybody. The Mayor also asked the Town Clerk to make a statement. TOWN CLERK'S EXPLANATION. Mr. Palmer then read the. following statement:—"A meeting of friendly societies tha principal sports bodies, and the Salvation Army was convened to take place in the Mayor's room on May 25 last, and ot that meeting tho names of the representatives present were taken by the committee clerk. Mr. Brown save his name as representing the Loyal' Orange Institution, and it wae not noticed until the meeting had closed and the representatives had left, that there was apparently no representative of the Protestant Alliance Friendly Society present. The. question arose: Dill Mr. Brown represent tho Protestant Alliance or the Orange Institution? and 1 was requested to ascertain which was the case. I sent a note to Mr. Brown on May 20 (marked "'Urgent"), in tho following terms:—'l shall bo glad if you will be' gcod enough to call and see me as soon as possible.' "On Tuesday, May ,10, Mr. Brown called on me, and as he entered the room, I said: 'Well,- Mr. Broun; how are you? Take a scat. You rememhor the mcetinT the oilier night?' to which he said, 'Yes."' 'I want to ask you whether you mads a mistake in giving your name as a representative of the Orange body, and wherher you meant that you represented the Protestant Alliance Society.' Mr. Brown stated that he represented tho Orange Institution, and had attended the meeting iu connection with an advertisement which appeared in the press, inviting friendly societies and others to take part. He further stated that, after being at the meeting in the Mayor's room for a few minutes, ho could tell by tho speeches made that individual invitations had been >ent to various lodges, etc., hut that he had not received any himself. He further stated that the institution would very much like to tako part in the procession, and he outlined tho form in which it was proposed to act, namely, by taking a lorry iu the procession covered with the national flags, a raised de.sk thereon, upon which would appear a large open Bible and above which the following words would appear in bold lettering: 'The .Secret of England's Grentnrfsi.' )lv observation was that personally I fell sure that the Mayor would he very pleased for them to take part in I he procession, and I would lay the position before the committee. ilr. Hrown said: 'We wish to show clearly that we believe in an open Rible, and iii tho Protestant succession.' I answered: 'Yes, but 1. am Mire you do not want to bo a cnuso of any Ironble by doing anything which might act: as a red rafr to -a bull.' Mr. Brown said: 'Ob, no? upon which I remarked that the whole matter could be dealt, with at (lie next meeting of tho committee. At this tioiut 1 asked Mr. ISrmvn what was likely to bo the strength of the body marching as Orangemen, and he said that he could not tell, because nearly all of them wove members of one or more other friendly societies and they might elect to take part with such societies. There was no word spoken by me which could by any means be construed into a refusal for the Orange institution tn takp nnrt, mid it is obvious that: it could not be so, inasmuch as the formation of the proces-

sion does not rest with me, but is entirely leit in the hands of the representatives of ihe bodies wiio will take part , in the procession and who will meet to make r-iich arrangements on .lime 8, and it is inexplicable to even imagine how Mr. Brown can have arrived at the very false conclusion.- expressed in his letter. .Mi'. Brown lias in some manner failed to convey to the body he represents what took place at our interview, and had he done f> 1 am sure thai'the institution would have seen the position quite clearly, and without any misunderstanding. As it was Mr. Brown left me apparently with the be-t nf good feeling and without having expressed any adverse comment: whatever, and his letter to the council is consequently tho more surprising and nonunderstandable." The council then proceeded to Ihe next business.