, 1874-03-23
4 Ministerial Crisis-Ths Rejection Of tho
0bligatory.Education Bill.
Proximate Transformation OF
the Roman Church.
Are the Protestants Capable Of Profit
Ing by tho Opportunity
Important Discussion on tie Papor.Cur-
xonoy...0fllclal Irregularities.


Workings OF the Jury'bTstenl--~E21on-
sion Of Private Enterprises.
Cbrresponde4ts Of Tho Chicago 7r1bunt.
TLonzsuE, Fet. 10, 1874
An ovont of supreme Importance, at once un-
expected md uniustinable, llas occurred In our
House of Assembly. Tho project OF law for tho
purpose OF
MAKING OBLIGATORY ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTION
has been rejccted by n majority not merely in,-
portant, but overwhelming. Tho entiro press OF
Italy, from Etna to the Alps, has boen wildly
impressed, ,-some crying loudly, "Soaula!
Scandal l'-otheys oonlomning the inoapacitY Of
the Assembly; others limiting at corruption;
syhi1o each and MI nro III perfect unison III H.
monting tho dailcioncos Of tho law itaolf. In
this project Of law, as It ia lore donominatod,
independent Of many grave omissions, thoro
aro two capital defcoss First, tho mania
which 1t exhibits of regulating everything !;
second, that gratuitous instruction is not
necessarily aud absolutely a condition Of
isa obligatory character. It Is ovident
that, in this country at least, II you desire
to mako education obligatory 1t must asHuredly
DO giyon gratis s,-uuleus, indeed, sou a.o contont
to bravo tremendous conmotiou.
Having soon and studied this matter carefully,
and having boon permitted to watch tho "get-
ting up" OF this matter, with all tho advantages
Of Free acooss bohiud tho curtain, protend to DO
ablo to givo you some vory curious and interest
ing information. One Of tho principal charac-
tcristics Of tho Italian Parliament is stranga
and apparently anomalous aptitude for Para-
montary discipline, in union with M Incredible
amount Of
rAHTy~EpIRrT.
No individual member has any idoa absolutely
bis own; ho pritlcs himself on being nothing bo-
yond fractional portion Of the party to which
hc belongs, and ho sacrifices to this idea all per-
soual considerations. It is for these REASONS
tlat, since tho uniAcation of Italy, the develop
mont OF Parliamentary life has been 30 rapid
nnd 30 great.
Unfortunately, thoro Is, for tho most part, no
real rcasou for tho oxstence OF this spirit Of
party. We aro not yet sufficiently matured IL
political existence to hava permitted tho forma-
tiou Of currents of political ideas vol defined
and firmly established and thus you will find n
body Of Republicans whoeo sole mcrit Is that Of
having founded d monarchy; party Of Con-
soryatigoa moro liberal than tho Democrats
themselves; m ariHtocraoy favorable to decen-
tralization, and Il people who desire to ECO all
and everything in tho bands Of and regulated
by, the Government, oven to tho questions OF
sunshine mud of storm. At first sight, one
would imagine onoself in d worry babel OF con-
fusion,-in the midst Of porvorsion Of ideas
and a lack Of principles scarcely to be con-
ceivod and yot shoro is in fact, nothing moro
logical, or mora regular. i will even yonturo to
assert that there ia
NOTHING MORE PROLIFIC
than this apparent confusion.
For instances, tho sic,lian arlstooraoy natur
nlly incliuos to decentralization. What can be
moro rational? It remains faithful to those
principles of liberty which spontaneously die.
tated the Constitution OF 1912. by Which, with
out traco Of pressure from without, it re-
uouncod the prIviloges consecrated by ages.
Tho Lombard ariRtocracy inclines likewise to de-
centrahzatiou, simply because it recalls the nd
yantagos {tl,a material adyantagcs) Of tho AUS
trian administration, which, as is vol known,
left to tho Com1nuues and to the Provinces an
amount Of liberty, In the matters OF locai gov
ernmont, almost unlimited. On the other hand,
tho people and tho trades-pcoplo- ignorant,
and both rejoicing in idloness, desire to impose
the eptlro responsibility Of tho general we'll
being upon tho shoulders of tho Executive, for
tho simple 1eason that they haro no faith in
private enterprise and industry, and TINT tho
balo idea Of personal exortion frightens thom
out Of their lives.
lu10Itullnte!Y, II polttltAl tullu Qe "AuLIlE
on the QUO side, there il plenty aud to spare Oh
tue oLhor.
CHURCH. INTERESTS
Of IN almost unlimited importance {iutorosts
which arc BY no means to bocorfonndcd with ro-
ligoua sentiment, now, alas! represented by the
most absolute indlflerenco) oxist.. It the Catlo-
lie clergy nnds support It is simply because it il
regarded as ladder by Which to arrive at. and
5se @ M h rs M ptosS ss 5sSi9 &&y &&iss ss ssP PoTG Ga: the
law imnosing all obligatory education beGn
thrown out? Iwill'.cll you, and I answer for
the corroctnoss Of my conclusiona: When
ho perceived ut ouco that, ID order to
House. and avoid political Complications with
Foreign Powers, it was Indispensable to bow to
tho wishes Of that portion of tue Chamber which
desired to reopen in some form the consilera-
tiDn OF the "papal guarantooH." The populal
election Of eurato in Northorn Italy appeared
to demand now laws, or at least to se,dor de-
tirable Home fixed regulations. In tue mcan-
tmo, tho Ministors was oompolled to sock a
nlcans Of satisfying this desire without disgust.
ing tho Left and Loft Contro; alld lie imagined
ho could content evorybody by making ut tue
sanlo s!mo two ateps,-ono forward. tho othor
backward, ,--giving to ti!e Clerical party creator
moasuro Of security, aud to tho Liboraf ooilsorya-
tiYcs tho !onF-deBired satisfaction OF obligatory
elementary education. 1lo found himself
1NAF1x-
compelled, on tho ono hand, to ALLOW tho Oer-
ical party to perceive his inability to giyo tho,n
auy tangible advantages; and OH tho othor, to
bring forward u dratt-law OH tho educational
question very incomplete, and in CERTAIN aspects
hSy HE'LL nangGfoas; s al among al perties
All at once. tho worla uttered by I'riuco Bis.
marcls III the German Assembly gave to the Grim
lnal stupidity Of
LII MAnMoRA's 1a1ronTuNArE 1uoupnAr1oSs
as,guilcanco which might easily produce an in
tornatonal and depo.able complication. From,
tli8 moment tho Mnster Of Foreign AiIails d.