Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-01-18

Italian view Of their character, and the Pope
maintained possession of that fragment of the
States Of the Church which he had been able
to keep six years before. These exceptions
allowed, Victor Emanuel may fairly be said
to have perfected his great work. and thus
was entitled to be regarded as the Regenera-
tor of Italy. Under his lead had been ac-
complshed that work of which Italians long
had dreamed, but which few of their number
had expected to see accomplished.
The next important event in Victor Eman-
uels reign was the annexation of Rome which
took place in 1870. The war between Ger
many and France of that year compelled the
latter power to withdraw from Rome the
troops that had been placed there by Louis
Napoleon for the protection of the Pope.
Soon after came urgent appeals from the Ro-
man people to the King of Italy for their
union with the rest of the kingdom, with
menaccs Of the establishment of a republic
unless these appeals were needed At length,
after all overtures had been rejected at the
Vatican, the King sent an army of 10000
men toward the frontier. He wrote an ear
nest letter TO the Pope, whom he adjured
with the affection of II son and the faith Of a
Catholic" to favor peaceful solution Of the
difficulty: but the Pope was memorable Or
ders, therefore, were ut once sent to the COM
mander of the Italian forces TO enter and take
possession of Rome, which was done through
a brench of the walls and after slight resist
ance by the Papal troops. A plebscite was
also ordered, which resulted in Rome and the
provinces giving 1873, GSl votes for annexation,
with only 1907 against it, Thus fell the tenn
poral power of the Pope A royal decree an
nounced the annexation; and in the general
elections for the new and enlarged Parlia-
ment the Kings policy was triumphantly sus-
tanned. The national edhce," he said in his
opening speech commenced by Charles Al
bert has at length been crowned Thus
Rome became the capital of united Italy, and
on July ., 1871, Victor Emanuel entered the
city and took up his residence ut the Quirinal
Palace. Although Plus tx. obstinately refus-
ed MI acou cence in the change and filed
the airs OF the faithful with groans over his
imprisonment his treatment as n spiritual
Pontiif was really so fair and liberal by the
Italian Government that no offence has been
taken by the greater portion of the prelates
of the Church.
From this time forward little remained for
the King but to consolidate his government
and develop the resources Of the country and
promote the education of the people. Many
difficulties were met in the instability Of It
alan parties and the feebleness of their lend
ers, but still the general progress was very
encouraging from year to year. The visits
made ut different times by Victor Emanuel TO
the various courts Of Europe did much to
strengthen his position constitutional
monarch.
Although neither a great man nor a great
ruler. Victor Emanuel had the vision TO dis
Germ the wants of his time to see his oppor-
tunties and TO profit by them, and thus next
to what has been done in Germany, he has
been the means of achieving the best political
and national progress shown in the last hall
century of European history. Such merit will
serve to throw into obscurity his personal
shortcomings and to give him an honorable
| place among public benefactors.