The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-02
SAVING THE PROPAGANDA PROPERTY.
Hen. W. II. Calkins Thanked by the Catholic
Authorities for His Services.
Cincinnati wahrheitsfreund, oct. 2,

Cincinnati wahrheitsfreund, Oct. p,
So soon as the action of the Court of Casa
ton in Rome, ordering the sale of the Propa-
ganda property had become known last winter,
Rt. Rev. Bishop Dwenger wrote to his personal
friend in Congress, the Hon. w. Fl. Calkins, at
present a candidate for Governor of Indiana,
whom he knew to be an intimate friend of the
President, leader in the administration party,
well inclined to Catholic interests, and who con
sequenty would be powerful agent in the case,
and in which he would do all in his power.
Mr. Calkins, Immediately upon receipt of the
Bishops letter, called upon the President and
secure1 his promise Of having the American
minister at Rome instructed to put an estoppel
to the sale of the Propaganda property. A
cable dispatch in accordance with this was
promptly sent.
The steps taken by the Cardinal of New York
and by the Archbishop of Baltimore, as also by
our government, through which the American
college was indeed saved, became known in Con
gress through the effort of Mr. Wood, who
sought to serve Catholic interests.
From the correspondence in hand the Bishop
of Fort Wayne saw that the entire effort was
conferred upon saving only the American col
lege Knowing the favorable disposition of the
President, and feeling assured of the aid of rep
resentative men in Congress- the Bishop hoped
TO accomplish something for the Propaganda
proper and concluded to go to Washington
Mr.. Calkins met the Prelate upon his arrival,
and at once arranged for an interview with the
President for the following morning. at which
time both the Bishop and Mr. Calkins presented
4he case to Mr.. Arthur. The President was
quite attentive, and said that he had already
forwarded several messages to minister in
Rome relative to this affair but labored under
the impression that the only object in view was
ia save the American college He then requested
of Mr.. Calkins complete but brief document,
to have the Bishop sign it, and hand it to him
fthe President) the following day. The request
was complied with The chief points OF the
paper were as follows:
1. The international character of the Propaganda
That the Propaganda has nothing whatever TO do with
the religious needs of either Rome Italy, but is
tabshed exclusively to meet the wants Of missions in
foreign lands instituted for this purpose and for
this same purpose received its endowments
2. That this was the legal status Of the Propagan
da at the time Of the occupation of Rome.
.. That no country of the world-no other Nation
is interested in the Propaganda to great extent
derives great benefit from it the Catholic
Church in the United States with her seventyfour
dioceses. etc
4. The manner in which we derive benefits from
the Propagandais first all our ecclesiastical business
in Rome is transacted by the officers of the Propa-
ganda gfatuitously; second, all of students in
Rome attend the lectures of the university of the Pro
paganda free of cost The professors of the nstitu
ton well as all the officers receive their salaries
from the funds of the Propaganda.
American bishops who own scholarships thus for in
etanee the Bishop of Fort Wayne is the owner of
scholarship in the college proper Of the Propaganda
For these reasons the protest is made against
the sale of the Propaganda property under that
general law whose object is the sale and discon-
finuanee of converts, and therefore, is our gov
eminent asked to enter protest with the Ital-
ian government, and to pray the powers of that
country not to injure valuable interests of
American citizens
The document was accepted by the President
with the promise OF attaching official note
and presenting it to the Italian government
through our minister at Rome Mr.. Calkins
wrote the Bishop few days later that the Pres
idents letter was all that could be desired and of
greater force than could have been expected
This explains why the Italian government
postponed the sale of the property for time,
and why the Italian minister said he would sub
init bill to the Italian Chambers in relation
to the Propaganda. Later on, however, he
acceded to the maddening demand brought about
by the utteFanees of the Spanish minister Pidal
and permitted three parcels to be sold.
Somewhat later lin June) the bishops of the
Province of Cincinnati sent like protest to the
President In how much the steps taken in the
above direction will succeed must now be left to
Gods providence
The Project of the Propaganda Cardinal Sim
eoni, wrote the Bishop of Fort Wayne that it is
astonishing that our non Catholic government
was the first to interfere in behalf of the Pro
paganda, and he commissioned the Bishop to
tender expressions of gratitude to the President,
and especially to Mr. Calkins for his valuable
gFatuitous and withal generous services,
1t may be well to add that Senators Allison
and Voorhees,, aud Representatives Reed, of
Maine, and Long of Massachusetts kindly of
tered their services
The reason is plain why recourse was taken in
this Propaganda affair to men in intimate rela-
tons with the administration.