The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-08-05
LETTER FROM ROME.
ROME, July 7, 1877.

LETTEh thUM hUMk.
ROME, July Z, 1877.
TUE ADMINISTRATIVE ELECTIONS.
The Catholic candidates have been triumph.
antly returned at Civita Veocbis. The Syndic
chosen 10 Signor Luigi Alibrandi, who on the
10th OF September, 1870. signed protest
municipal councillors are sll Of them Catholics
The Liberal papers, commenting on THE reao'
tion, assert that the wretched administration
cause Of the return of tho Catholics. The Gov
ernment, 1t is said, is go much alarmed at the
success Of the Catholics in Florence that is 10
intended to dissolve the municipal council and
proceed to . new election.
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
The Catholics failed in Rome to return men
of their own ohoiceaat the recent administra-
tive elections. That failure was due partly to
the faot that the Govern ment clerke and ON
cials and the police and custom officers formed
come thousands of voters ready TO support the
Ministerial candidates., and partly to the
apathy and Jimidiiy of the Cath olicS them
selves. In Florence the Csthellc party has
just gained 8 signal victory: The Liberia thus
writee upon this subject 'This victory of the
clArioals at Florence, if it surprises us little,
affictS US muoh, because it shows that this no.
BILE city, instead OF preparing for better lite,
is ,prePesipgt6r fresh miseries. II Florence
really falls into the hands Of tho clsricslS she
will require something more than Governments
loans to pat her on her legs" This paragraph
from the liberal Liberia oonfesses the very
wretcbed condition of Florence, condition
entirely produced by the bad management Of
the Radicals and Reyolnrionists who have
ruled Florence nnier the ogis of Victor En-
mRn1el's statesmen, sud brought that once
fourishing city to the verge of bankruptcy. IL
is to be hoped that Florence will recover some
part of her prosperity by the honesty and skill
Of tho municipal governors lately elected. Tho
councillors 20 be chosen were fourteen, and of
these ten belong to the Catholic list pure
simple while fuut were namea common TO both
The GAthollGA admitted these fOUr
their list by way Of compromises, else the Lib
erals would not have bad single name TO
reckon on. The victory of the Catholics has
been complete in Florence. In Albano the
administrative elections terminated likewise
in the return of the Catholic candidates, in
spite of sll the efforts Of the Libersls.
RELIGIOUS PRocEtsIoEs.
It will be remembered that last year arbi-
Government to the prefects and syndics 10 the
several provinces in Italy, prohibiting all reli-
gious PROFESSIONS held outside churches unless
the consent of tie civil suthoI tiles had been
previously sought and obtsiued for each sepa-
rate prcc cession. Under this arbitrary regula-
tion much Inconvenience and annoyance was
caused. Amost every parish in Italy, in town
or country, has one more of these pro
cessions, which form popular featas. and
to which the peasanfry have been 40
customed for centuries. That the ceIebra-
ton IF these PROFESSIONS should be made to
depend ii o will or caprice of perhaps
iufidel or Protestant syndc or pre- fect was 10
itself 30 email hardship inflicted on Catholic
population. Many oz these professions were
prohibited by these recent regulations, ether
because the GcciesissticRf authorities did not
wish to make the req uiI ed applications, or be-
cause the prefects refused them when made.
Some professions were made without pTeVious
applications, and come were made without
consent and in spite of refosals. In all cases
where PROFESSIONS were held contrary to the
Government regulations prosecutions followed,
and when the cases came before the higher
courts of appeal it was declared that the regu-
lations of the Government were arbitrary and
illegal, and the Catholics were acquitted The
law was plsinly laid down that professions in
general were sanctioned by the statutes, and
that no merely ministeri9l circulars of the
Home OHce or prefects could override the con-
stitutional privilege OF Catholics, to bold their
usual prooessions, uDleSS under special circum-
stsnces which endangered public health or
public peace. One would suppose that In the
face of these decisions by the highest legal
courts the ministers and projects would bow to
the lew, and allow tho proceesiops to take place
quietly. Bot the present ministers have no in
Lsntion of yielding to the law, aud have pub
lished their resolve to maintsin their arbitrary
regulations by force. The following 10 q sam
pie of the new ciTculRrS issasd to counterSct
the effect of the sentences of the Courts Of Ap-
peal: Z" invite your excellencS (tbe Syndio) |
to warn the ecclesiastical funotionGries of this
locality that, notwithstanding any order or in |
struction given TO them by the respective
and irreepeotively of any consider |
alton which they think they might draw from |
any recent decision of TIE Court of Appeal the |
full observance remains unaltered of the Min |
isterial Circular, number IL 100 dated July %, |
1876. and of the prefectoral order dated August !
5, 1876, upon religious professions and conSe |
quently ia the case of any religious procession |
made outside the precincts of y church, with |
out the previous consent Of the civil authori- |
ties, not cnly will analogous cootrAventiou be
bat also the procession will bs pre-
vented, if necessary by force. Very recent in
structions received on this subject from the
prefecture Of Milan impose on me the duty of
sending to ron this intimation, Gh0 reoeipt Of
which Won will have the goodness TO aeknoW-
ledge, (SiRned) The Sub-Prefect YALLETTL
Addressed 70 the Syndios ef ths dletrics. DA-
tel June 81, 1e7Tss By She ptCfees of YerOli