The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-01-17
4 Born KING.

Ii victor Emmanuel, whose death is an.
nounced by cable, had lived in the middle
ages, he would have gone into history as one
OF the greatest of kings. He had the quail
ties Which in barbaric age would have won
nm crown, even If it did not belong to him
by inheritance. In him the highest moral
courage was united with unilincling per-
sonar valor and coarse, resolute nature
tnaG Joyfully accepted the weightiest respon-
sibilities, and bravely bore them in victory
as well as in defeat. He was a soldier be-
lore he was king, and fought in the fierce
wars which his father waged against Aus
trla. The disastrous battle of Noyara
brought him to the throne. The father. no
longer aole to hold out against the power of
Austria, gave up his crown, and the more
vigorous and courageous son took upon him
self the burden of purchasing peace from a
victorious foe and recOnstructin~ shattered
kingdom.
Victor Emmanuel became King of Sardi
MIA ON the I'D of March, 1S49 He was
obliged to purchase peace with Austria on
such terms as the conqueror was willing to
grant. No more difficult task could have
been imposed upon the young king than
that OF treating with the Power that had
compelled his father to abdicate the throne.
but he was equal to the occasion. He had
the sagacty to surround himself with able
and patriotic Ministers, and before many
years elapsed the kingdom of Sardinia be-
came SO important factor in European pol
ltlcs that France sought an alliance, which
IN the course OF time brought about the uni
fIcatiOn OF the italian States and made Vic.
tor Emmanuel King Of Italy.
BY diplomacy and arms he expelled the
Austrian power from Italy, recovered the
States which had long been held as conquer
ed provinces, and gave Italy place among
the nations. But more than this, he broke the
domination OF the ecclesiastical power.
and gave religious freedom to his subjects.
Only man OF lion courage would have
dared to abridge the temporal authority of
the Sovereign Pontiff and to curtal the priv
lleges OF the clergy, but Victor Emmanuel
did not shrink from an undertaking that he
knew would bring down upon himself the
terrible penalty of decentralization. For
tunately for the cause of religious federation
in Italy, Victor Emmanuel had the power
ful assistance OF Bismark in finishing up the
great work OF making Rome the capital of
Secularlzed kingdom. When France was
engaged in a deadly struggle with Prussia
she was obliged to withdraw her troops from
Rome, and Victor Emmanuel improved the
opportunity by occupying the city with his
own troops. None of the Catholic powers
were in a position to oppose him; in fact,
none OF them cared TO incur the hostility of
BismarS, and thus the kingdom of Italy was
established cortemporaneously with the
Empire of Germany.
Although a man Of coarse fibre and indif-
ferent morals, he may be Chased with the
great men of the century. Possibly man
OF liner nature could not have done his work
He broke away from the traditions Of the
in yvi,i hn l,a1 hoo
the Pope, deprived him of his temporal au-
thority, and invited the extreme penalty OF
communications What cotemporaneous
King would have done as much = 4mericnn