The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-21


Rome, forwarded through the Atlantic cable,
which conveys intelligence Of the very highest
| Importance to Christianity, to the world at
large, civilized and uncivilzed.
| Our special writer announces that the ques-
ton Of the independence Of the Roman Catho-
lie Church, in the present and for the future,
has been made subject Of debate in
the Italian Parliament. The discussion
was fierce and angry. Party politics
were for the moment dominant over the eternal
interests Of religion, and the affairs Of the
Pontifcate were used as the subject of adroit
trick and sharp device by men who look to
the profits Of government place and sigh for the
''fesh pots" Of the cabinet and the council room.
The members of the extreme left clamored
for the King to "smash the Papacy," to dis
perse the members of the Sacred College and
to drive the Cardinals from the free capital Of
free and ''united" country. The gentlemen
Of the Legislature would have peace; peace
after the sword, peace in the solitude of
the Campagna. The defence of the right of
the Holy See was, so far as it is reported,
weak in point and temporizing in argument.
1t was somewhat in the tone, if not the words,
Of Peter when he stood near the hall Of Plate
81 know not the man."
During the moment of agitation and alarm
which must have been produced, not only in
Italy, but all over Europe, by the reports and
knowledge OF these proceedings, the Kings
government produces bill of rights, in which
1t defines the relations Of the State to the
Church and proclaims the Magma Charta
which Italy is willing to accord to the
Holy Father, to the members of the
Cardinalate, to the episcopacy, and, of
course, to the Catholic millions of the
congregations which worship both in the
Old and the New Worlds; from the an
tipodes to the Rocky Mountains. 1t is a very
curious and instructive State paper. The
document appears to be based on the principle
of the Jew who spoke to the Saviour and in
quired to whom the coin belonged, when he
wished to implicate Him with the Law crown
of Caesar. 1t attests the inspiration of the
Holy Scriptures, however, by coming itself
into confederation of the recital Of the excuse
Of that fallen audacity which laid hands on
the Saviour in His humanity, carried him
aloft, showed Him the temporalities of earth
in their grandeur, and then said all
these "will l give unto thee if you
fall down and worship me-" King Victor
Emmanuel speaks of the amount of lire, of
the deaari which are to be paid to the Holy
| Father at the very moment when he undertakes
| to determine where the Pope shall reside, by
whom and how many he shall be attended, and
also to announce that the Church is free to
communicate with the world outside of Rome
| of the Church has said it. His Majesty is de-
termined to repeat the gambling act of the exc
cutioners at Calvary-to ''cast lots for the
seamless garment" of initiating at
| the eve of the glorious anniversary of the
birth of the Redeemer anything Of the
calm and resigned and soul-saving penitence
| of his royal father, Charles Albert after his
defeat at Novara. The grand Christian shelter
which was sought by that monarch, glorious
| even in his abdication and which was JOY
ously afforded to him, appears to have been
| forgotten at Court in Florence, where the
shade of Cavour appears to exercise mora
| potent influence than do the memories and
traditions of the pious men who have marched
to victory, to death, to martyrdom even,
under the banner flag of the white cross
of Savoy in former years. The ter
rible conflict which has ragged between
Christianity and the opposing powers since
the moment when the sea storm tossed the
frail bark of Peter on the waves on which
the great High Priest seemed to sleep, APP
pears to be coming to an issue. The Pontiff
may be forced to look away from Italy, to cast
his "net on the other side )" to have an abun-
dant haul in Asia, Africa, America and the
islands of the sea, leaving King Victor EN-
manuel with his national unity, his increasing
years. his taxes, his theatres and his confessor.
1t is not at all unlikely but that Italy, after
his decease, will be reconciled to Catholicity
by missionaries from America.
THE DIVISION IN SENTIMENT AMONG THE
FRENCH MINISTERS, of which we are appraised
| by our correspondent at Bordeaux, is simply
one between monarchists and red republicans.
Cremieux is a legitimist; he would like to see
the eccentric Count de Chambord crowned King
of France. Admiral Fourichon is an admitted
opponent of republicanism, but it is hard to say
whether he is an Orleanist or a Bonapartist.
! AT any rate he has firmly refused to attach
his signature to papers containing denuncia-
tons of Napoleon and his marshals. Both
| Cremieux and Fourichon are advocates of
peace. In this they are opposed by Glais-
Bizoin and Gambetta, both of whom are red
republicans. 1t will thus be seen that,
singularly enough, while the ministers who
| represent or hold monarchical ideas are urgent
to bring an end to the war, those who hold
republican principles are resolved to continue
| ~ ., s.o.