The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-02-25

Keokuk, Feb. "a.

| hope, Mr.. Editor, that it was no dis
cour esq TO attribute to you the impulses
of noble ambition which Strives to
achieve superlcrlty; assortment which
you feel ia common with the immortal
Caesar, who passing through an Alpine
viilaee told his attendants, al would pre-
fer % be first in this village than second
in Rome" As you could o. be first in
Rome the title Of "Ilittle Pope of kao-
kus" is not unworthy of your ambition 10
my first communication, ! simply asserted
that the s. Pontlf no where clainled in
bis letter the right of controlling the
oEiaions and uct Of people ard least
OF all Of Protcsiants, who have full liber.
ty of worship md chapel in Rome as in
all other Cliholc cities. Instead of point.
ing out the expressions by which he
makes such claim o. in fact any claim
outside of strictly religious supremacy.
you coniure up the ghosts Of the victims
of the s.. Bartholomew massacre. tbepoi
soned enemies Of Alexander The vi. You
ought to have laid no blame to a Poutiii
who assembled the thfonc at 6l years, not
more an age for frivolty and ambition
but to the turbulent family Of the Borei.
whose yindicuYenoss used in turn the
poison and the sword yen point to The
exteThiaalion OF tue Albigenses, and the
bloody waIs OF Europe you briug in
Mahomct, the leader Of millions ana call
even on The assistance Of tie de7il. waom
you claim to have the largest number oi
followers on earth. According to your
theory of the Will of the people, and os
the majority, he ought to b. the supfen e
ruler Of the land in word so many sub
jects are brought into one column, that
the article would be complete had YOU
mentioned the paying of money to Priests
for the forgiveness OF sins, and left room
to sny word about the scarlet woman ol
Babylon.
| am very willing to treat OF all these
subjects, but only one after the other. 4 S
my rule Of logic apes not please you, l
will take ore slngFe item of your answer,
and give some explanation about this
greet bugbesr-the temporal power OF the
Pope The Church does not require any
Of lis members to believe that the Pope
has any temporal authority over kings or
princes; this authority the 5 Poniihs
have often exercised in the middle ages,
because Christian Europe had learnt II
yenerate in the successors OF S.. Peter
an authority before which it could bow,
without lowering its dignity. The benc
fits conferred by the Papacy during the
invasions of barbariRns in Europe had
made of it an umpire ani arbter 10 all
the Disputes that arose between princes
and conferred upon the successor Of tht
fisherman # GAsiiee, power 10 shcl
only few Popes laid an indirect claim
For every war waged in Europe In spit,
OF that power, can name ten prevented
by this spiritual arbitration Of the head o
the Church. X ngs and people loved t,
subnnt their differences to the represen
tative Of Christ, 10 power which h
Gulzot calls "true authority "Where
ever it is abs ssnt," adds tits Proiestan
writer and historian, speaking OF d
authority of the Pope felt and accepte
IN Europe, as a right, without requiring
to have recourse to force, "whatever b
the force or preponderance of number
which support the ruler, obedience Is a.
ways mean or precarious, borderiI
either on servilisy or rebsllioc."
Were it not for the power of the Pa
pacy. which united the different Chris
tian nations, Europe might, this momen
be Mahometsn province, but atsth
voice OF Sylvester Il, Christian Europ
began the struggle against the power G
Mah0met, which finally, after centurie:
drove the foe from Europe When Pete
OF Ausgon. John Of England, the Rus
SLAMS, the Gowegians, declared then
selves vassals of Rome, when the Pru
SLAMS received from Urban the " cor
stitutignal charter, aud the Portuguese al
piled to Rome for Regent iostead 81 the
imbecile king S nehsz III. they acknow
edged the Pope as The head of the ChTi
tiao family of nations.
OF this moral power exercised by Il
Popes in the middle ages on Catholic nj
tons. Frederic Schle2el says: 1.-The p
litical influence of the Pope vas that OF
mild and peaceable arbiler, following Il
rules OF equity in all the useless wars
that epoch. He was an austere Gems
against the violence of the mighty, and
viglsnt tribine Of all christendem for
prolcctlon OF the weak or the oppressed
II this same Influence could be exert
among Christian nations at the prese
day, ] see no possible evil results from
exercise.
Before casting slur upon Catholic n
tions for being below the standard of
formed nations, you SHOULD first prove
to be . fact, and secondly, that the stan
ard Of civil prosperity OF political sggt,
disement IS a true test Of grace and |
measure Of evangelical progress.
Respectfully, /. D,
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