The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-01-05

Irrt TO the effect that all members Of the
Latin commdnion scattered through
out the world, are invested with right
Of "proper citizenship" in Italy. Accord.
ing 10 this doctrine; the people of that
peninsula are deprived ofthe right to dis
pose OF their own soil, and this fictitious
entity, this nonresident majority, may
claim that in the very heart Of the penin-
sula, territory shall be set apart for
the purpose OF subscribing the interests OF
the Roman Catholic Church.
The votaries OF this doctrine hold with
perfect consistency that such right
being one Of proper citizenship, may be
enforced by the sword. Nor is this a
mere opinion Of the schools, neither is It
tradition which having once lived is
now dead. In 1913 the people OF the
Papal State overthrow the Sacerdotal
government, constituted themselves into
republic, and evinced every disposition
to keep the peace and respect the rights
Of neighbors. But the swords Of four
States were ut once drawn upon them.
France, Austria, Spain and Naples, upon
the preposterous plea OF being invested
as Catholic nations with a title to dispose
Of the civil interests Of several millions OF
men, put down the free State in 1S47.
France, which had no territorial in
,ercsts 10 defend, and which is in respect
10 enthusiasm Of belief, one Of the most
unpretentious Of nations, maintained by
sheer force the Papal throne until the
exigencies OF the German crisis in 1870
compelled her to evacuate Ciyita Vecchia.
May she not, or can she not, ever do this
again? A question Of vast interest to
Europe, and one to which England cannot
altogether shut her ears.
Germany, victorious over France in
single handed fight, Is ltaly's friend, and
is bound BY the strongest considerations ot
self interest to assist her against any at
tempt TO restore the Papal throne by
means offoreign force. The restoration Of
French army Of the Temporal Power
would unquestionably compromise the
very existence OF the German Empire.
The powerful setting Of !he'current OF hu-
maslnotive which we will, term Fate,seems
10 determine France towards another
deadly contest with Germany Tor the hege-
mony OF the continent. The underthought,
so TO speak, the embryo OF her mind in
the future, which waits its developments, is
war. The very instinct Of nature will in
cline her to strengthen herself with all the
elements congenial to her purpose. Under
this head she may probably rely upon the
sympathy Of Spain, which, however, can
count for little. But the true ally OF
France will be an ally without name.
1t will be the Ultramontane minority,
which pervales the world; which tri-
umphs in Belgium; which brags in Eng
land; which partly governs and partly
plots in France; which disQuiets Ger
many and Austria; which is weaker per-
haps in Italy than in any OF these coun-
tries; but which is everywhere coherent,
everywhere tenacious in its purposes,
everywhere knows its mind, follows its
leaders, and bides its time. This minor
ity, which hates Germany and persecutes
Italy, will by fatal and inevitable ut
traction, be the one first ally Of France,
If ever she be again so far overmastcred
BY her own internal foes as to launch
again upon a wild career OF political am
bition, wearing the dishonorable and iic-
titious garb Of religious fana,icism."