The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-01-27


DEAR FRIEND 1T would give me
tend the meeting on the 18th instant for
the celebration of the Italian indepen-
dence, the emancipation of Rome and
tts occupation as the permanent capital
OF the nation. For many years / have
watched with deep interest and sympa-
thy the popular movement on the Ital-
Ian peninsula, and especially every eff
fort for the deliverance of Rome from
despotism counting its age by centu-
ries. looked at these struggles of the
people with little reference to their &C.
clesiastical sectarian bearings. Had ]
been Catholic instead of q Protestant,
1 should have hailed every system OF
Roman deliverance from Papal rule.
Occupying as / have the standpoint of
. republican radical, anxious that all
men of all creeds should enjoy their re-
hgious liberty which prize SO highly
for myself, lost all confidence in the
French Republic of 1S49, when it for
feited its own right to exist by crushing
cut the newly framed Roman Republic
under MAZini and GaEibaldi. From
that hour it was doomed, and the expia-
don Of its monstrous crime IL still go
lag on. Ny sympathies are with Jules
Eavre and Leon Gambetta In their eff
forts to establish aud sustain Repub-
Lie in France, but / confess that the in
yestment of Paris by King William
seems to be the logical sequence of the
bombardment of Rome by Oudinot.
And is 1t not significant fact that the
terrible chassepot which made its first
bloody mark upon the lIaIf-armed 1tal-
ian patriots without the walls of Rome
has failed in the hands of French Re-
publicans against the inferior needle
gun OF Prussia. 1t was said of fierce
actor in the old French revolution that
he demoralized the guilotine. The
massacre at MentanO demoralized the
chassepot. 1t is matter of congratu-
lAtion that the redemption of Rome has
been effected SO easily and so blood
lessly. The despotism of a thousand
years fell at touch in noiseless rotten
ness. The people of Rome, fftyt one,
east their ballots of condemnation like
so many shOvels full of earth upon its
grave.
Outside of Rome there seems to be q
very general acquiescence in its down
Nll. No Peter the Hermit breaches
crusade in it's behalf. No one of the
great Catholic powers of Europe lifts n
hnger for it. Whatever may be the
feelings of Isabella of Spain and the
fugitive son of King Bomby, they are in
no condition to come to its rescue. 1t
10 reserved for American ecclesiastics,
loud-mouthed in professions of democ-
racy, to make solemn protest against
what they call an Outrage" which
gives the people of Rome the right of
choosing their own government and
denies the divine right of Kings in the
person of Pho Mono. The withdrawal
OF the temporal power of the Pope will
prove q blessing to the Catholic church
as we'll as to the world. Many of its
most learned and deVout priests and
laymen have long seen the necessity Of
such a change, which takes from it =
reproach and scandal that could no lon
ger be excused or tolerated. a century
hence it will have as few apoiogists rs
the Inquisition or the Massacre of st.
Bartholomew. In this hour of congrat-
ulation, let us not forget those whose
suffering and self-sacrifice in the inscru-
table wisdom of Providence prepared
the way for the triumph which we cele-
brate. AS we call the long, illustrious
roll of Italian patriotism, the young, the
brave and beautiful, the gray-haired,
sanity confessors, the scholars, poets,
artists, who, shut out from human SYM
pathy, gave their lives for God and
country in the slow, dumb agony of
prison martyrdon, let us hope that they
also rejoice with us and inaudible to
earthly cars unite in our thanksgiving.
"Alleluia! For the Lord God OmnipO-
tent reigneth; he hath avenged the
blood of his servants" In the belief
that the unity of Italy and the over
throw of Papal rule will strengthen the
cause of liberty throughout the civilized
world, ! am,
Very truly thy friend,
JOHN G. WHITTIER.
70 Theodore Roosevelt ESQ.