Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-01-18
ITALIAN UNITY.

The famous remark, t1tsly is asInere ge-
ographical expression" We have always
attributed iE e the AustFian Ktnbassatof
who socleveriy odrwitted the ambitious
Corsican in 1878; and we shall still give
Metternich the credit until Mr.. Sumner
produces his authority But whoever
may have first uttered it, this fauousfe-
mark about Italy Is certainly very plausi9
bie, il not strictly true. Asa nation, as
unit Itsly has no history no trsdisionsT
And Rome never has been the capital Of
Italyslo Old Rome was the capital of the
empire, nots of Italy merely. sb Rome as
pred to be political mistress of the whole
worlds even as in our day she claims to be
the spiritual capital of Christendom. The
surrounding States were first conquered
by old Rome, because they lay 10 the way
of her march to the subjugation of the
world. In later times we read of the
glories of the Republic of Venice; but
the Neapolitan and the Genoese have
no part or share in these glo-
rious traditions. And we know
that in the chaos which succeeded
the Barbarian invasion, Popes like Hide
brand took hold of matters with strong
hand, and rendered modern civilization
possible by establishing the system of a
balance of power among contending
neighbors. But this power was Rome's
alone, not Italy's-it was the reflex of
Rome's spiritual superiority.
Perhaps the nearest approach to Italian
unity before the present, was when Bona
parte dubbed one of his subalterns ''King
of Italy," but he was not permitted to
rule the whole peninsula, and the arrange
ment made Italy only an appanage of
France at best. And in similar way the
present Italian Kingdom has gradually
grown under the fostering favor of France
and of Bonaparte. 1t suited Louis Ma
poleon passing well, to have King Bomba
and all his petty Bourbon relatives de-
throned. And it suited Napoleon also to
weaken Austria by the detachment of
Venetia Cavour was wise enough to
perceive and use for his own purposes the
ambition of the parUeau of the Tuileries.
The interesting problem of the imme-
date future is: Will this Italian unity,
| thus inaugurated and thus cemented, stand
the test of time2 We know its finances
are at low ebb; its bonds are only
| little better than those Of the ''sick man"
Turkey, perhaps because the seralgiO of
| Florence is more costly than that on tue
BOsphords, for want of the economy that
consolidation and system secure. And
we believe the Italians are just now the
most heavily taxed people in the world
excepting always the inhabitants of our
own glorious republic. But we hope
here to get over our troubles after awhile.
and the problem before Italyis to do like
wise under form of government less
| changeahle IMAM ours.
AS matter of mere Stale policy, the
late fOrcible occupation of Rome seems
TO us an ill-advlsed measure-one that the
late Count Csvour would never have
| planned nor countenanced. By this step
the new kingdom pas alienatcd large
class of good citizens-o,d foges perhaps
we would call them-but none the less
good, law abiding people-the class whose
support is always desirable. On the other
hand, the class to DE conCIliated by this
step are the spirits Of unrest, the revolu-
tionary disturbers; and it remains to be
seen whether this class will DO appeased
/ by The partial destruction of the pspacy
that Victor Emmanuel proposes. This
halfway measure of conceding the Pope
a civil list for the maintenance of his digs
nifty, is not likely 10 please the Gsribaldin
| who have no more respect for his spirit
ual authority than for bis temperatures.
To our seeming, the young kingdom has
yet TO face and conquer its most formida-
bic enemy-an enemy more vigorous and
aggressive than the passive old man of the
Vatican-i. G., the Mazzinis and Gsribal-
dis, the secret leagues and the mobocrats.
Our sympathies are with Italy in the
coming struggle. We would like TO gee
her strong in her own strength. A few
years ago we counted five great Powers.
To day there seems but two-Prussia and
Russia-for the weakness of England and
Austria has been demonstrated almost
as palpably as that of France. Two over
shadowing Powers, identified in location
and interests, are dangerous TO the rest of
Europe. Ii Italy will step forward, able to
aid England and the West against the
ambitions of the East, we shall welcome
her to the frat rank. Certainly there is
room for her, there is need for her, in the
autonomy of Europe. She has noble
mission before her. We hope she may
prove worthy of it. We hope she will
consent to be the cats paw of others no
longer, but throw off all foreign influences
and stand forth in her own might.
We have been led into these remarks
by reading accounts of the grand mass
meeting of sympathy over the completion
of Italian unity, held at the Academy of
Music in New York city last Thursday
evening. Among the speakers we notice
Gen. John A. Dix, Parke Goodwin,
Henry Ward Beecher, Henry W. Bellows,
Horace Greeley and William Cullen Bry-
ant. Letters wereread from Chas. Sumner,
Lyman Trumbull, Henry Wilson, Column
bus Delano, w. w. Belknap, Hamilton
Fish, Gov. Geary, j. A. Garfield, o. o.
Howard, Chas F. Adams, Bishops Coke
and McIlvaine, Rev. o. B. rockingham,
E. A. Hoar, j. d. Cox, w. N. Eyarts,
Ralph w. Emerson, VIM. Lloyd Garri-
son, G. w. Curtis, J. G. Whittier,
Gerritt Smith, Bayard Taylor, and
other lesser lights. From this
array of notables, the demonstration