New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-04-08

lutism against the Republican cause. If We
are wrong and our correspondent righs on this
point. not only have the Jesuits been univcr-
sally misrepresented, but che absolutist rulers
and politicians are the most deceived people
in the world. They regard the Society as on
their side, and holding and defending their
principles of government, while the Repuoi-
cans as unanimously regard it a. their enemy
Were it necessary, some Of the ablest aud most
distinguished writers whom the Catholic
Church has produced might be cited to show
that the Order is essentially hostile TO political
liberty. and has strong sffinities with absolutism
and hereditary authority. But this is so gen.
orally and VIGOROUSLY held TO be the fact that
we refrain for the present from going farther
into details upon the question. And if our
correspondent still nclines TO dispute the
point we should like to understand from him
distinctly whether the Society now is, or ever
was, in favor Of Republicanism in Europe;
whether it did or did not desire that the Roman
people and the French people should be de-
prived of the Republican Constitutions they
had obtained in lS4S, and brought back under
absolute governments; and whether it would
or would not now oppose change in Europe
by which Kings, Emperors, aud Aristocracies,
should be dispensed with, and the people en-
dowed with the right of making their own
laws, taxing themselves, establishing free and
universal education with equal religious toll
erance, and modifying their political institu-
tons as, from time to time, they may judge
advisable Or will he contend that the Or
der is Indifferent on all these points
Our correspondent warmly denies that Father
Roothaan exercised predominant influence in
the administration of the Roman States up to
the election of Plus TX. TO the Pspacy; and
that he used that influence for the special ad-
vantage of the Order and in opposition to
railroads and other material improvements Of
the country by which the condition of the peo-
pie would have been benefited In this con-
nection we are charged with calumny, and
summoned TO retract the defamation We
answer that no defamation was intended, nor
was anything uttered which common fame had
not proclaimed before; and that we meant to
say of the Father General nothing more than
that he had been faithful TO the spirit and his
torical character of the Society. That he ex-
ercised a very great influence in the Court Of
Gregory XVI. our correspondent will not pre-
tend to deny; and that the Government Of
that Pope did anything to encourage public
enterprise and improve the condition of the
Roman people may be known to our CORES
pOndent, but has hitherto been concealed from
the rest of the world The has such informa-
ton, we shall be happy to give it a wide pub.
LEFTY. and all the weight it shall seem to de-
serve as a matter of argument
If the universal ill-repute of the Jesults be
erroneous, and if the eminent and eloquent
assailants, who in the bosom Of the Church
have waged against them an unsparing war
fare, have been slanderers and liars, we can
only say that their case is the most sstonish-
ing, their doctrines the most misunderstood,
and their wrongs the deepest, of which the his
tory of human belief and tho controversies Of
opinion present any record.