New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-02-08
A PROGRESSIVE POPE.


the Legations ravaged by foreign army and had
heen compeIled to pay a ransom for Rome which
p,unged him into the sea Of irredeemable paper
money. and after this he had seen Berther pro-
claim the Republic in the Papal city and had him.
self been taken prisoner to GTenoblc. The Seventh
Plus who like the Ninth had been Bishop of lmola,
had gone through precisely the series of ontrages
from Napoleon after the lapse of dozen years. lie
had been robbed of the Legations driven from Rome
and imprisoned by arbitrary power. 1t seemed rs II
Cardinal Mastai took with the name the same terri
BILE responsibilities. From him Also Ancona ana the
Legations were to be torn in the same order as IRON
his predecessors, and the same baeful protection
from France was TO end in different way, in the
same loss of prestige and of liberty.
PRACTICAL EEFORMER.
No Pope ever assembled the throne of St Peter
with more general popularity. The Church party
respected him for his piety, and the liberals whiie
they esteemed his personal character had the great
est confidence in his tendencies to radical REFORM
At first he seemed to fulfill the expectations of the
most sanguno Within month from his accession
he puhlished a full amnesty for political ofenses,
which filled the clubs with his praises and filled
Rome with conspirators. He devoted himself seri-
ouslv TO practical reforms: lowering the taxes;
granting concessions for railroads and encourage
similar enterprises; throwing open public employ
ments to layInen; stimulating in all possible ways
agriculture and commerce. He took great pains to
ferret out abuses in the Administrations in the pubic
charities and in his little army. He made the
"Nepotism of Rome" a misnomer, so far as no was
concerned He promptly made known to ms
brothers and nephews that they conld expect n"
Offices or promotions from him. He sent one OF them
who was living at Rome in oStentatious manner
back to Sinpaglia And to this good principle, we
believe he adhered 10 the last None of his name,
although the family was numerous and honorable,
were ever appointed to any position of consequence
under the PaDal jurisdiction. These ascetc virtues
pleased his people greatly. but did not equally
enchant the TeactiOnary governments about NM
Austria locked askance at 50 mnch liberalism under
the tiara and Naples gave signs of serious discon-
tent at such an nfaInmabIe example at her doors
France. under the short-sghted Orleans monarchy,
was rather pleased than otherwise with these symp-
toms of the coming revolution which little later
to destroy the throne of Lons Philippe With every
month the situation more and more delicate.
The Pope had made the fatal mistake of ali rulers
who imagine that they while claiming absolute and
despotic authority can give the people just as
much liberty as is good for then-and stop when
ever they think necessary. No lasting or benehcicn
reforms have ever proceeded from the initiative OF
sovereign but almost every attempt OF tins KIND
has been fatal TO the permanence Of the power from
Which il has issued. The reactionary circles OF Rome
and the neighboring courts looked with untriendly
ewes upon the liberalism of the Pope, and the rati-
Gals apDlauded him with an energy which was more
dangerons still The anpiausr Ciceronaccio was
more perilOus than the frank hostility OF Mazzlnl.
The Vatican began to appreciate this fact. and on
the ODD of June, 1917, Cardinal Gizz in the name OF
the Pope published a proclamation against public
lnI,.tl on1 lad ~
thusasn of tho masses in great degree few weeks
after this the Austrans bv order of Radesky on the
pretext that the Pope needed protection, occupied
the Civ of Ferrara The Papal Ministry protested
against this outrage aud reused spirit of national
resistance to Austria which IT became afterward
difficult to allav Throughout Italy the ferment OF
popular opinion which was universal III Europe, be-
came clearly evident before the close OF the year
1917. The hurricanes which coming were not to
be localized anywhere. shade OF difference IN the
political complexio1s Of sovereigns and dynasties
ACCOMPLISHED nothing for against them. Among
the first victims of the popular uprisings We're the
Citizen-King in France and the Citizen-Pope Ill
Rome
THE REVOLUTIONARY EPOCH.
Nothing could check the popular impulse excited
by the thunder and lightning of revolution in every
Quarter of the sky The North of Italy against
the AuStrlliiS. DllidD was tahcn ny INC oudntSC'
Manin established the Republic once more in Venice.
The Pope, though with many vague misgivings, at
first Joined in the national crusade He sent a
column TO the North under Gen. Durando, which
Durando lost at Vicenza, after sounding proclama-
ton of war against Austria which the Pope re-
pndised-and thereby gave great offense to the fiery
patriotism of his people. When Charles Alberfs
defeat put an end 20 the war; the popularity of Plus
X had suffered severely through the inevitable
criticisms of excited and newly press
and tribune To snstan the damaged prestige of the
papal authority, Plus TX resolved to call into his
counsels a statesman Of known abilities and patriot
ISM and made choice of Count RossI. But the vigor
and energy with which the new Ministry began the
work of repression too late to effect its pur-
pose. The populace was now under the control
of the most violent Of its leaders. Count
Rossi was assassinated at the door Of the COun-
ell of State, and though there is no reason to be-
lieve that the Liberal party were to any extent
privy TO the murder, they were only too ready TO
profit by it. 10 demand a radical ministry at the
hands Of the Pope. Plus TX, seeing too late that a
fatal misunderstanding separated him from those be
had attempted to lead shrunk with horror from
these demands. But after a stormy scene, III which
the gendarmere, the Civil Guard, and the Roman
Legion joined with the populace in a siege Of the
Quirinal the Pope apparently yielded and accepted
the radical rule he had equally to hate and to
fear But it not possible for him TO live in those
changed conditions. and he resolved upon flight.
III.
THE PAPAI HEGIRA.
The particulars of this extraordinary Hegira--
which formed an epoch not less important in the life
of Plus TX than the flight from Mecca in that OF Mo-
hammed-aro contained in a curious work by the
Jesuit Father Bresclan from which we make the
following extracts, the accuracy of which is guaran-
teed by numerous authorities.
"On the Goth of November) Count Spaur, the Ba-
yarian Embassador called on Cardinal Autonelli to
INQUIRE if the Pope had yet decided upon leaving
Rome Receiving n reply in the affirmative the