The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1855-09-14
THE POPE'S SUPREMACY.
[From the Richmond whlg.l

assertion OF his political supremacy in aquar'
rel, which has just broken out between him
and the Court of Spain.
The Catholic Church being a mortmain
and profting by the death.bed terrors of its
devotees, it has succeeded in accumuating
into its hands during the past five centuries
a large portion of the most valuable real es-
tate in Europe. By Catholic Church is
meant the Clergy-the Priests. They hold
this property, and live in luxuriance, wan
toness, and ideness, while the mass of the
population toll for them, and endure all the
pains Of penury and hunger. The system
received its first blow from the old French
Revolution-when the property thus stolen
from the people and held by debauched and
pampered priests, was seized, sold, and the
proceeds appropriated to the public defence.
The people Of Piedmont having in common
with oil other Catholic countries, suffered
from these pious drones-who were daily
consuming the substance of their labor-and
being blessed with free Government, (com-
paratively0 began some years ago to think of
reclaiming the vast estates, thus consecrated
to vice, bigotry, debauchery, and idleness.-
Encouraged by England, the Government
brought forward a scheme for disposing of
these church accumulations for the general
good. After many difficulties, various chan.
ges in the ministry, and such opposition as
Jesuits only are capable of, the scheme be-
came law. The Pope forthwith pronounce
ed the law null and void, snd threatened
Piedmont with accommodation.
In the meantime, Spain, the most bigoted
Catholic country Of Europe, and three-fourths
of whose entire productions are said to be
consumed by idle and dissoute priests, hap
pened to pass through revolution, and men
Of more liberal views got possession of the
government. Unable to raise enough money
to meet the public wants from the oppressed
and impoverished peasantry, they east their
eyes upon the vast possessions of the Priests,
who. being exempt from taxation, knew moth
ing of public burdens, and cared nothing for
the public welfare. The Cortes, determined
to restore this property to its original pro-
ductiveness, passed law declaring that no
real property shall be held in mortmain in the
Spanish dominons.
AS soon as this action was taken, the
Popes nunclo, Indignantly called for his pass
ports, and shaking off the dust of his feet
against the accursed city of Madrid, departed
to his master, the Pope. Report of the pro-
ceedings being made to His Holiness, he held
what is called a" Consistory," and issued an
"allocution" or address, in which he severely
rebukes the Spanish people for their conduct,
and intimates still further punishment. For
the present he contents himself with declar-
ing the laws null and Of no effect ;"-if the
the government does not abandon the laws,
then they must expect accommodation with
all its pains and penalties. The following
are the terms in which the Pope sets aside
the Legislation of On Independent State, and
arrogates political supremacy:
"Raising our voice in your assembly, we
complain of all that the lay government has
done and is still doing, in Spain, unjustly
against the church. The patrimony Of the
Church has been usurped, in spite of all d.
vine and human law. We, therefore, in vir-
tue of our apostolic authority, censure, abro-
gate and declare ,oithOm ualue and without
force, null and Of no effect, for The past and
the future, the said laDs and DEGREES"
And yet we are told, the Pope claims no
political control over his spiritual subjects.
His Holiness and his Clergy attempted to
get possession of the church property of the
Catholic communicates in this country. II
was asserted that all church property belong.
ed to the Priests-and by consequence 10 the
Pope. 1t was in furtherance of this scheme.
that the Infamous Bedini-who sailed the
Western lakes in Government vessel, came
to this country. His mission failed, partly
through the rebellious temper of American
Catholics, and partly through the Indignation
of Italian refugees, whose kindred and friends
the papal nuncio had imprisoned, tortured,
or hayed in the dungeon of Italy.
The PoTTER's FIELD OF New YORK.
The Daily Times describes the Potter's Field
of New York thus:
aTwo acres are inclosed within n tight
board fence. One corner of the inclosure |
you will notice is graded some four feet high |
er than the rest. Under this are three |
trenches filled, and in them there lie the re-
mains of 10000 people. The fourth trench
has been open only few weeks. Already il |
has over 500 buried in it. This trench is |
dug Is feet deep, 800 feet long, and l8 feet |
wide. They begin TO bury at one end of it.
The trench is wide enough to admit three
coffins lying end to end, and they are piled
up till the uppermost is within two ieet OF
the surface. The average of daily burals
here at present is Is, or 1876 Ia week. During |
hot weather the corpses arrive in the early |
morning ami after nightfal. When the new
arrivals are announced at the trench, the dig
gers throw aside the little dirt that covers
the last lot, deposit the new ones, and cover
them. When the whole trench is filled, the
earth of new trench is thrown upon the
late one, and it is graded off like the mound
before spoken Of, some four feet above the
former surface. This is done, because when
the coffins decay the earth sinks. The MOUND
is to be turfed so soon as it has settled, and
cedars, willows, and other appropriate trees
planted
awe spoke of an offensive odor that met
us far away from the spot. But standing by
the side of the open trench il was intolerable.
With the wind west, we are told that II is