The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-18
THE COURTS OF BERLIN AND OF ROME.


Whoever is the original aggressor, and 1t cannot
be denied that Prussia deserves this designation,
1t Is certain that ever-exsting Rome and the new
made Empire Of Germany are erect against each
other In most hostile conflict. 1t is impossible to
foresee all the consequences of the angry struggle,
and no one can announce at what time 1t will end;
but the history OF Europe contains plenitude of
light, which isin no way dubious, for the identa-
cation of the final gamer OF the battle. Rome has
been In many prolonged engagement-with
Casars with H0henstaufens, with B0napartes; but
In each case 1t buried the enemy put on his de-
feated remains the last shovel OF hiding EARTH and
there Ia no room for apprehension that
the annals OF the past will be in belize
ment with the developments Of the future;
for, after more than eighteen hundred years
OF existence, Rome is still to-day young as abso-
lutte. as firm. as ambitious and as immortal as ever
before. The unavoidable Interpretation Is that
Bismarck and his master have opened q combat.
the entire ultimate benefit and glory Of which will
shine on the battlements of the Vatican. The
whte-haired Plus TX. Is animated with this truth.
Rejecting on 1t makes him youthful again. Not
withstanding his imprisonment in defiance Of his
eightytwO years, he tells william and his Chan
ceOr that the pebble will be cast which will de-
mOlish the Colossus; and when he sees Berlin up
heaved with fury and alarm for this stern predic-
ton, he declares that there is no modification for
any of his words, and that he will ever fearlessly
perform all the sublime duties of his impershable
office. The past and the present make it destiny
for the Papacy to see the Kingdom Of Prussia and
the constitution and boundaries Of the new SOW
ereignty erased forever from the disc of Europe.
AS the struggle progresses Prussia manifests two
great ambti0ns-to have the new-made Empire
acknowledged as the lawful successor Of the Holy
Etnnr RI oil ffu Dom
elections. We consider each Of these extraordi-
nary aims in turn.
1t is certainly an absurd claim that the new
made Empire lawfully succeeds the Holy Roman
Empire. The Holy Roman Empire was strictly
founded on the Roman Catholic faith. The new
Empire is founded ON confusion of Lutheransm
and atheism. None but Roman Catholic could
wear the diadem OF the former. None but
Lutheran can succeed to the latter. II an 0ccu-
pant OF the first changed his faith, the Pope, chief
uphoder of the rights of the Crown and of the
people, would have declared him accommodated
and dethr0ned for apOstacy and treason, and
Europe would have seen to the immediate
fulhlment Of each division Of the SEN
tence But II an occupant OF the second
should become Roman Catholic his reigning days
would at once be terminated forever, and the two
Parlaments OF infdels who have recently enacted
cruel law of Punishment for the sons of Loyola
would expel the House Of Hohenzollern from the
limits Of Germany. Finally, the Holy Roman En-
pire was quashed out Of all tangible existence by
the celebrated act called the Confederation of the
Rnne" and, strongest reason OF all, II the honors
OF Charlemagne legally and lineally belong to any
House in Europe they belong to the Roman Catho-
lie Hapsburgs and by no natural title whatever to
the Prussian dynasty.
These reasons make 1t sufficiently evident that
the claims for the new Empire are founded in un
truth, in injustice, in stupid selfconcet and in i'm
possibility. This new military construction may
stand for few years. though 1t is certain that
France recovered will break its vertebra in pieces.
But 1t will never be acknowledged to be the heir OF
the Holy Roman Empire. King william may as
well set himself up the of the Ptolemes
in Egypt as Of the illustrous Carovingians in Ger
many. Rome alone is an insurmountable obstacle
to the success Of this insOlent dream
We come to the control Of the Papal elections.
The ambition to get authority over the Papal
elections rests on the fact that several of the
medieval German Emperors possessed much power
in this respect, and the right, until lately exist
ing, enjoyed by the leading Catholic States of
Europe-as France, Spain and Australia hinder,
as far act OF suffrage would go, through their
Ambassadors in Rome, the election of Cardinal
Objectionable to them.
But the power the medieval Emperors-happily
destroyed forever by Pope Gregory vII.--used
over the c0nclaves was q wicked usurpation; the
faculty Of veto exercised by the leading Catholic
States was given to them not as O right but,as
thing OF favor, because they were champions of
the faith the withdrawal of this concession Is de-
served for the once Catholic governments are no
longer Catholic; the Church has q right from God
to be free in her elections and the ruling house OF
Prussia is Protestant House.
These facts added together, where is the right OF
Bismarck and his master to have any control what
over Pontifcal electiOns There is no vestige
of such right. Were william Roman Catholic
there would be little plausible justice for the
claim. As he Is a bigoted Lutheran, and as he is
prosecutor Of the Church. he has less right for the
claim than the Emperor of Turkey himself.
And so it will be. The great age Of the Pope, his
virtual Imprisonment and the usurpation Of Rome
the natural seat OF Papal elections by Victor EN-
manuel have dstended this ambition to an immod
crate and Indecent degree. But "many O slip be-
tween the cup and the lip" The aged, venerable
Pontif, may survive all who complot against him,
Cavour, the well-dcfned anti.Papal exemplar Of
Bismarck, had bis cherished plans for making
Popes; but, strong and young though he was, the
octogenarlan of the Vatican has seen him laid low
and unforgiven under the eternal mould of the
graveyard. There are many more startling exam
pies OF the same kind in modern Italian annals The
Chancellor and the Emperor are not SO young.
They may be the first to go to judgment. And
even though the venerable Pope Plus soon died,
what then ? Certainly 1t Is in the power OF Bis
marck and William to send troops into Rome,
seize the cardinals, offer those prelates
candidate agreeable to the new Empire and then
proclaim that the candidate thus offered was duly
elected. But this is all they can do. The Catholic
world would never accept for Sovereign Pontir the
man that should be declared Pope In this manner
and thus the ambitious operation would bring
nothing to Its doors but dismay.
The Emperor and his Minister are going too fast.
They are not Catholics, but Lutherans, and, there
FORE they should not intermedde within the circle
of Roma: and notwithstanding all their Qreat-