The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-07-10
GheQntelligenrer,
The Pending Struggle la Ger:
many Between bismarck ana
The l1OnC.

mAuS UtthtSH "A't'Ne "
the Pope.
There has been in all the worlds his
tory no more remarkable circumstance
than the influence which the Vatican at
present exercises over the internal AZ
fairs of every civilized country The ma
ture Of its power and the extent to which
il can he exercised in the government Of
u people, are questions upon which
Catholics are divided, and the souliono
which no doubt il continually affecting
the unity Of the church. The Pope has
the absolute allegiance Of but two pieces
Of kingdoms in Europe, ireland and P"-
land. Yet in spite Of all this, there isno
person in either hemisphere that does not
feel the influence Of the Holy See.
II Catholic Europe has ceased to have
geographical position, il has not ceased
to exercise great spiritual power.
Prussia has imprisoned five Catholic
Bishops, has imprisoned or fined 1900
priests, and nearly as many laymen, and
yet there is no iaItering in the resistance
maintained by the adhcrents Of the Pope
II is with this Power that teaches to
German subjects the doctrine Of
infallibiliiy that Bismarck has to deal.
lie rcprescnts'thc spirit o(prOgrcssivc Ger.
many, the soul Of the new Empire that is
trying to shake of the chains Of the past,
and il rising up tocnjoy its liberties, en-.
force It's rights, and become the leader
among the nations Of Europe, II is this
irreprcssblc spirit oi the Germans that
impels Bismarck To lead the movement,
not against the Catholic faith, hut against
the temporal power which Natiranism has
exercised over the civil law for more
than fifty years. Leading German states.
men for the past quarter Of century,
have seen in the assumptions Ol the
Rumish hierarchy u danger which would
finally unless checked, destroy the in
tcgrily II the State IT, 1t, dispatch To
the United States Government, dated July
lG, 1870, George l'Imrr II, unr Minis.
ter To Berlin, said "'rhr sentiment pre-.
wallis that Iicrmimy j. lighting the battle
ofpublic liberty ,oh ii independent M
tionaitr,.' =, to-day /, may lmly he
said, that in hcr legislation To check the
growth oi u'IlrNnmuMn.m, "Shc is
lighting the battle Of public liberty and
independent naiionalilic4"
From 1921 to 1887 the Roman Church
acquiesccd in the civil laws which gov.
crned Prussia. ln fact, one Of the condi.
tiOns on which the ltomish Church was
rc.established in Prussia was u willing
submission to Prussian laws. This was
Checrfully given, and the two lived in
harmony until 1911, when the intrigucs
Of the Jpsrlits were discovered. IN the
meantime the Papal hierarchy grew in
bOldness and increased its demands, I'M.
til now, Of all nations in Europe, Ger.
many has good reasons to dread the as'
tendency Of Papal authority. Her cen
tral position has male her the theatre Of
nearly every great conflict that has taken
place on the Continent.
The census Of Dec. !, 1871, shows the
population Of the Empire lobe Al OIL, ,lSj,
divided as follows: Protcslants, 2j,j70,-
100; Roman Catholics, ll,sG7,3G3. In
Prussia, in 1871, Gj per cent Of the in.
habitants were Protcstanta, aud 50! per
cent Roman Catholics; while in Bavaria
Il mr cent were Roman Catholics,
and 81! per cent Protestnnis, The
royal family belong to the Protestant
faith. Since the close OF the war, the
Ultramontane doctrine ha1 gained ground
among the German catholics. Bishops
and others oiinnncnCc in the church have
surrendered their original convictions,
and given in an allegiance to the dogma
Of iniallibility. IN one form or other
the ecclesiastical conflict which now agi
tates Europe must expand in dimensions
and increase inbitterncsa. lfsucl be the
ease the firm stand Of Bismarck was not
taken an hour tOosoOn.