Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-05-07
The American Cardinal.

When authentic intelligence was re-
ceived in the United States of the inten-
ton of the Pope of Rome to elevate an
American Observation-Disclosures Nc
Closkey-to the rank of Cardinal, the N.
Y. EoeniRg Post, edited by William Cul-
len Bryant, suggested that the tender of
the honor afforded the Archbishop IAN
Illustrious and unprecedented opportuni-
ty to vindicate the dignity of American
citizenship" by refusal to accept it.
This suggestion became the subject OF
an amin ated discussion, in which large
number ofjournals, both secular and re-
ligious, have taken part. The idea upon
which the Poet spoke was that the rank
of Cardinal conferred by the Pope is in
the nature of a title of nobility, and that
its acceptance by an American citizen is
the acceptance of secular Office bestoW =
ed by foreign sovereign. The journals
which unfavorably criticized the Posts
suggestion argued, in the first place, that
altogether too much fuss was being made
about this matter of an american Car,
dinalate :" that it was in fact of no par
ticular consequence or significance
whether the offered honor was accepted
or not; that the business and politics oi
the country would continue to go on very
much IN the ;old way after Archbishop
McCloskey became Cardinal McCloskey,
and that the public mind would receive
no demoralizing shock from the spectacle
of an amiable looking, elderly gentleman
in a red hat, occasionally moving about
the city of New York, in carriage with
red wheels. TheI objection based upon
the proposition that the Office of Cardinal
is no longer a secular Office since the an
nexation of the former States OF the
Church to the Kingdom of Italy, and tn at
not being a secular Office, the constitution
al prohibition forbidding American citl-
izens to.accept titles of nobility could not
apply to it.
We are inclined to agree with the OBJ
jections to the Posts suggestion in the
point that the issue is one of little practi
cal consequence. We do not think that
the country will incur the slightest peril
from the appointment of one or dozen
American Cardinals. The second point
however, is not so clear. Although the
former States of the Church have been an
nexed to the Kingdom of Italy, the Pope
has never acquiesced in such annexa ton
and never relinquished his claims as {
temporal sovereign. So far, indeed, is h'
from acquiescing. that he holds Victor
! Emanuel under the ban of excommuni
cation for depriving him of his "tempor
alities." In this view of the matter it can
hardly be maintained that the Office is 1
purely ecclesiastical one. A Car dinal i:
in fact "Roman Prince" and so the
Catholic Archbishop of Baltimore seemed
to think. The position involves some
thing of princely power and dignity, fol
he declared that an American Cardlna
will be substitute for diplomatic in
termediator between the Government o
the Pope and the Government of tn Q
s. Respect for the rank is acknowledged
among all nations without regard tc
creed"
From this it would seem as if the Bal
timore prelate attached considerable i'm
portance to the rank of Cardinal, viewed
simply from a secular and political as
pect But we suspect that he attaches
much more Importance, to it than events
are likely TO justify.