The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-21

The ITALIAN Qpxsr1oN IN New York.
/, real difficulty about the settlement OF the ita
| lian question In Italy seems TO be, that tne
! Italians very naturally desire 70 select tneil
own rulers, without the intervention y '. france
Austria, or any other Of the European Pow rs
while the idea Of the great Powers seems to
be that the liberation Of Italy can be best OBJ
tanned by distributing It's crowns among the
unattached German and French princes. The
Italians disagree with that view o. the case
altogether, and insist on the doctrine OF non-in-
PREVENTION. Hence NIL the trouble amonH the
diplomats at Zurich and elsewhere, and heA'ce
the circumstance that the Italian question whi
probably remain an open one for some time to
come.
The italian question in New York is artistic,
not political; but in Its general aspect IL is
quite the same sort of thing. The managers
of the Opera have come out with a declaration
Of independence, 80 far as London and Paris are
concerned, aud have resolved to select their
artists for themselves, and avoid paying the
enormous salaries demanded by the usee
fayorites Of the great cities. Ullmann,
who occupies the position Of Victor Emanuel,
has hardly made success in his first stroke for
operate freedom. In point Of fact the cam
paign opened with terrific defeat, which paled
Ullmans star, and made everybody angry
with the managers for doing what everybody
said beforehand was clever thing. That's the
usual way. Opera managers who fail are VIC
10
down politicians who have sacrificed every
thing for their country
But our Italian question is not settled yet
The pioneers of artistic independence gathered
their scattered forces for new effort on We'd
nesday, and brought out new singer bari
tone, who was very fine, and made gratifying
success. The connoisseurs were in a measure
notified, and the Italian question in New York
looks brighter than it did. But one baritone
does not make an Opera troupe, any more than
one swallow makes summer. There is as yet
no new prima donna who is satisfactory to the
public. One is on the sick list and the other
does not seem to answer the requirements of a
first class metropolitan Opera audience, which
the manager says we are, and which we will be
in good time if we are not now. To settle the
Italian question beyond dispute, we must have
prima donna Where is shes eas
The ONDERDoNK CASE FINALLY DISPOSED
orlTHE PETITION FOR RESTORATION WITH
DRAwN.-Our special dispatches from Rich
mond inform us that the House of Bishops hav-
ing refused to restore Bishop Onderdonk to his
tba ofh io
resigning his jurisdiction over the diocess,
leave was asked and granted, on Wednesday
evening, for the withdrawal Of his petition.
This amnnnta virtually tn conclusive ter
mination Of the case; because, fortunately, the
House of Bishops is unlike temporal court or
legislature in that it is not subject to our poll
teal system of rotation in Office. 1t is not like
", therefore, that the House Of Bishops, having
so signally rebuked Bishop Onderdonk and
those clergymen and laymen Of the diocess Of
| New York who shamelessly voted for his resto-
ration, will be ever more troubled on the sub
ject.
The despatch from Richmond intimates that
the decision of the House of Bishops was con-
siderably Influenced by the articles which ap-
peared in this journal in relation to the mat.
ter However fattering that fact might be to
us as journalist, we prefer to believe that the
House of Bishops consulted only the welfare Of
the Church, the cause of virtue and good
morals, and the reputation of their own body,
when they sternly refused to place the great
diocess of New York once more under the spi-
ritual direction of man who had been shown
to be so unworthy of such trust.
The House of Delegates had long debate on
series of resolutions asking executive interfe-
renee on the part Of the general government in
the matter of the religious intolerance Of Spain
and other Catholic countries. The principal
difficulty appeared to be the dislike of the Con-
vention to take any step that might possibly
connect the body with political questions; but
that was got over by dropping the resolution
calling for the interference of the general
government The House of Delegates has
| voted to adjourn tomorrow.