The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-10-11
Rome the Capital ut Italy.

Rome the Capital OF Italy.
We mu,t not mistake the occupation
of Rome by the Italian troops for q
thrust at the Popc's spiritual power, or
imagine that the loss of his temporal
Kingdom is any very great misfortune to
the Pope himself 1t certainly will not
affect his influence over the church or
the world The Catholic powers of Flu.
rope have already signifed their rcadi-
ness to contribute to the maintenance Of
the Holy See. 1t is not yet certain that
the Pope may not still have limited TEN.
poral possessions The significance Of
movement is desire long cherished, now
realized of uniting Italy under one SOW.
ereign. We cannot but sympathize with
this feeling of national pride and this
bond Of common sympathy. And more
than this, many shrcwd observers see in
this movement the promis Of greater lib.
erality, the amcliorated condition of the
people and tendency to rcpublcauism
The Papal Legion, whose arms gave him
support, is to be disbanded, the natives
of Italy being for the present retained at
the various depots without arms, while
the foreigners are furnished transporta.
ton to their respective homes. Thus We
see that the immediate results are fixed
facts and we shall hope for the speedy
realization ofhopes thus raised of progress
toward that libcrality which character.
ICES our cwn institutions. The Hearth
and Home says: "only a few weeks
have passed since the Ecumenical Coun.
Gil pronounced the DEGREES of the supreme
Pontiff intallible, and many who arc hos.
tile to such claims will assume to see in
this diminution of his power a provident.
ial retribution. There is no need, how.
ever, to search so far for an explanation
OF this curtaimcnt of papal authority
AS the Germans have long been strug-
Cling for united Germany so the Ita
ians have been longing and striving for
the unifcation Of Italy under one sovcr.
eign, with Rome as its capital. Rome
was the capital Of Italy before the Holy
See was located there, and at one time
she was the acknowledged mistress of the
world. Within her walls, from the reign
OF the Tarquins to that of the Caesars, the
consuls bore sway, and now that the ten.
dency of Italy, as Of all the world, is
toward freer institutions and more liberal
government, it seems cmincntly fitting
that Rome should again become the resi-
dence Of the ruler Of Italy Fortunately,
the transfer of authority was accomplish
ed without bloodshed, the Holy Father
himself commanded his followers to put
mp their swords, and to permit the Ital-
ian forces to enter the Holy City. The
rights Of his Holiness, however, have
been respected, and foreign diplomatists
accredited to the Vatican declare them.
selves satisfied with the precautions which
have been taken for his safety.
1t will perhaps be unpleasant for the
Pope to see once accommodated son
Of the Church installed in Rome as mon.
arch of all Italy, but it is not probable
that the deprivation of his tenn.
poral sway will work any real injury to
the head Of the Catholic church Many
within the pale of that body, and not a
lew high in position, maintain that there
should be no attempt to combine temper
al command with the spiritual dominion
Of the world II remains to be seen
whether any power friendly to the Papa
cy will so far disapprovc of the progress
Of events in Italy as to be willing to 20
to war for the purpose of restoring its
temperatures.
The occupation Of Rome, however, is
but one scene in the drama now being
enacted in Italy. The people Of that
country have long painted to be free from
even constituted monarch. Garibaldi
has communicated many of his free ideas
to his countrymen, who now wish for
republican as well united Italy. Rome
is now the Italian capital, and may ere
long be again the seat of Aourishing re-
public.