The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-11-08
THE FACTS ABOUT ANroExLL1
The Fortune and Family of the Dying
CARDINAL Devoted Life.
TO the Editor Of the New York Sun.

To the Editor of the New York Sun.
Sir: In a paragraph Of this mornings
issue Of the Sun, purporting to give a
biographical sketch of the dying Cardinal
AntoneIli, your informant among other
inaccuracies, says: Although receiving,
with other Cardinals, salary Of $4,000
Der annum, he is provided with so many
wealthy benefices that he has accumulated
an immense fortune" am certain that,
like all true-hearted Americans who are
lovers of the truth for its own sake, you
would not willingly and knowingly utter
a word that could injure the good name of
the lowliest member of the community
especially 1t he were on his death-bed.
Now, Giacomo Antonelli-perhaps at this
moment before the judgment-seat of Him
who shall weigh the merits and dement's
OF us all-is most dear to the hearts of
two hundred millions of Catholics, six
millions of whom are American citizens.
His good name is dear to us Catholics, if
for no other reason, because he has been
the lifelong and honored servant of the
Holy See, and has chung to the fortunes of
the illustrious Plus TX, with a constancy
that no weight or succession Of calamities
could shake, and with courage proof
alike against the threats Of the assassin
and the ISLANDERS of hostile press.
You, sir, are not one who would learn
history from Nicolini, Gavazzi, an Ed
mond About, or Legge; you would not
condemn, still less hang, dog on their
testimony. Yet, such are the sources
each lying voice re-echoing the utterance
of its predecessor from which our popu-
lar press have received the now wide
III.
has accumulated an immense fortune"
from the bene6ces bestowed upon him by
the Pope, or his clever manipulation of the
Papal finances
What is the truth about Cardinal Anto-
nelli's fortune2 He is the son of an ital-
ian nobleman. noted throughout Italy for
his great wealth and talent as a inancier.
The family is not a new one; there were
Antonellis members of the College OF
Cardinals in the last century, and at the
beginning of the present, when the cele-
brated statesman was but babe; even
then the family was neither obscure nor
IMPOVERISHED. Giacomo Antonelli lherit-
ed, like his brothers, "a splendid fortune
from his father, with his fathers aptitude
cice of the church he brought his princely
those best acquainted with the facts car
testify. In princely spirit. Even were
he a poor man, disposed to grow rich or
the revenues Of his Offices or bene6ces, the
times on which he fell, the gradual impov
erishment and final suppression of all such
benefices, would have left Cardinal Anton
ELI but few opportunities of enrichinG
himself or his family. As it was, even be
An 1aL -
themselves OF Rome, the yearly salary o.
$4,000 allotted to each Cardinal from thu
revenues of his church, with the addition
tary of state, cannot strike any of you
first class Protestant pastors of New Yorl
as exorbitant. Moreover, since 1870
neither the Pope nor Cardinal AntoneIli
nor indeed any one Of the high officers o
the Papal court, ever accepted one dOlla
Of salary from the usurping royal govern
ment. The heroic secretary of state ma.
have fulfilled the duties attached to othe
onerous Offices, with the abnegation dis
played in discharging his own; but thes
additional labors. while increasing his re
ward in another world, obtained him il
this only such Misrepresentation as tina
into which your informant was led incau
tiously.
Shall tell you how such men as Card
nal Antonelli and the late Archbishop D
Merode employed the princely patrimon
they brought with them to the service {
the Holy See in its darkest and most need
hour? There are still, in spite of ruthles
suppressions and confscations, many d
bic institutions Of benihcence and learnin
in Rome, in the Papal states, and through
tnlr ha ipSO
continual munifcent aid from both
these high minded prelates. There al
among the students that have issued fro
the Propaganda, and it's sister colleges
Rome, many devoted priest and bisho
even here in our America, who could thri
your own, and all American hearts, ma
urally so generous, with numberless il
stances Of the most delicate and bountif
charity on the part of the great Sonnine'
statesman, as well as on that Of his o
associate in the ponti6cal ministry.
To be sure, Cardinal Antonelli dwelt
an historical palace, painted and furnishC
by Italian genius; so did De Morode; al
so does the Pope himself, for that matte
But you, sir, whose Superior kuowledG
and travelled experience have enabled yC
to see behind splendid surroundings Il
that there is not = man on the edItori
staff Of the Sun, at this moment, who
habits are not more luxurious or expensi
than the simple hearted old Pontiff, al
his proverbially abstemious minister. A
tonellns life was devoted to Plus TX, al
for this we Catholics honor and revere |
name; his presence was ever accessible
the injured, and his purse opened to &
needy, and for this our common humani
will bless him. 1t were we'll for us, at &
beginning of our second century of q
tional life, if those who aspire to serve Il
state could bring to it fortune tn
should place them above dependenC
temptation. and corruption. Let US WI
and see whether or not the dyi
Cardinal will not have given to the nee
of his aged master and the service of
universal church, the remnants of {
fortune received from his father.
| should apologize for taking up
much Of your valuable space, were it
that feel sure every Catholic in the la
will thank you for thus allowing me
indicate the honor of one SO high and
deservedly dear. HIEROs
Nov. 3.
From the chicago Times. 7th
Giacomo Antonelli was born nc
Terracina, on the I'd of April, 1906.
was educated in Rome. and, display
marked capacity for affairs, was creates
bishop of Gregory XVI, and employed
the civil administration ofthe Roman stat
10 lS45 he was minister of finance in
papal government, and after the access
a Al L Al