The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-27
CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY.
Its Growth and development During
and Since the Middle Ages.
Work of the Guilds-The Instructive Dis
course by Father Lents, of Upton, at
st. Joseph's Church.

| Rev. F. G.. Ientz, of TipGon, delivered the third
! of the series of popular lectures inaugurated
| there his subject being Constitutional Liberty
| in the Middle Ages" Father Leat3 said we are
| much given to glorifcation of our own times,
without taking into account that future genera
lions may be tempted to make as much sport of
us as we have INDUCED in toward past ages.
| We forget that although our great advance in
| material civilization may contribute to our
comfort, it does not add to our happiness.
He called attention to the state of Europe in
| the early ages of Christianity. First-The
Romans held in subsection all the then known
pagan civilized world Second-That whether
| under the republic or empire they granted no
constitutional liberties to any nation On the
contrary, it had disappeared from them
selves. Third-That the imperial power in
| the West, viz; Italy, Spain, France, Ger
| many, and England, went down before
| the onslaughts of the various barbarian
tribes from the north and east of Europe.
| Fourth-That the existing form of govern
ment was not only overthrGwn, but in many
| cases it was succeeded by the rudest kind or
| civil polity, which, although presenting that
| crude form of liberty common enough among I'M
| civilized tribes, could in no manner be called
constitutional liberty. AS rule, might gov
erned, and though they claimed the right to
choose their leaders, much depended upon his
personal qualifications, whether mercy or cruelty
was exercised towards the people subject to his
sway. Fifth-The church took these people,
civilized, g. converted them and educated
| them, and taught them the arts and
| sciences both mental and natural, as far as they
were then known and understood Mankind be-
gin to look beyond the horizon Of castles and in
the crusades follow the banner of the cross.
The appearance of new religions and social doc
trines are the announcement and beginning Of
that chain of revolutions which Europe has to
undergo. The agitation was toward constitu
tional liberty. In the crusades men had learned
to fight for q principle, and principle it should
90 until they had gained in civilization the great
step where man should no longer be considered
| brute or a machine, but be able to compel, by
| lawful means, recognition of his rights and dig
mites. The commonalty rapidly increase in
power. That power continues to grow
| until the unfortunate Reformation comes
to mar and blight the blossoms which
| has been thousand years maturing. Baron De
| Hautervlle says: ''The English it is said
| know better than the French how to make use
of the parliamentary regime and political liberty
| Is it the infueIne of blood2 do not think So
| for until about the sixteenth century France
| Spain and Italy had provincial liberties strongly
| resembling those of England. The only notable
difference was that the latter had centralized
| regime, and only one parliament as an organ
| which showed itself strong enough to keep roy
atty in check. Now. in the eleventh century Spain
| had q Cortes to which municipalities held the
right or privilege OF sending representatives. Hal
lam says the burgesses of Castiian towns were
| invested with civil rights, and so particular were
| they of their local self-government that the
royal officer was regarded with jealousy and
/ forbidden to use violence towards any one with
| out legal process, and the administration of
| justice was exclusively reserved to the inhab
| itants and their elected judges.
In OIL, with the fall of Louis, the last of the
| Carlovingian line i'll Germany, the Germans re-
| solved to choose their own princes, and then
| began that movement which for centuries
made the highest office in Germany cleo
at the highest Office. One by one, rights and
! privileges were insisted upon and granted. until
| Germany had a constitutional government At
the Diet of Frankfort, In 1914, the three orders
of electors, princes and deputies from the cities
took their places. In all the German principali-
| ties form of limited monarchy prevailed, re-
l fiectirg on reduced scale the general constitu-
/ ton cf the empire No tax, says Hallam, could
| be imposed without the consent of the states.
and in some countries the prince was obliged to
account for the disposition of the money granted.
Perhaps there is no country over which more.
noise has been made, in our day, than Stree
Italy" But he is very poorly read in history
I who does not know that in the middle ages de-
| mocracy had full swing in the cities of LON.
| hardy. Venice, Genoa, Florence, Pisa, Vienna
| Brescia, Bergamo, and Milan were republics in
every of the word They made their own
laws, elected their own governors, and for CEN
turtles resisted all attempts to conquer them
/ The Fleming, and especially the people of
Client, had been during century noted for
| their republican spirit and cOntumacious def
aLce of their sovereign. No taxes were raised
| in Flanders nor indeed throughout the domin-
ions of Burgundy. without the consent of the
three estates. When in the fifteenth century
| the French King tried to seize upon Brittany,
they stood boldly upon their right to choose their
/ own sovereign.
| There are people who still foolishly believe
| that England acquired her freedom only in 1858.
with the overthrow of James III. / would ask
| ven what means all those quarrels between the
| English sovereigns and their pariaments4 What
means the impeachment of ministers and the
/ fusal not only to grant money but the requiring
of an account of moneys already voted2 What
| means this large assembly at Runnymede in
| 1915, and that document to which John, King of
| England. has been forced to place his hand and
| seals repeat, that we must consider the times,
| and if all the forms of parliamentary law are
| not so we'll understood as in our day, or that
men, only shortly emerged from barbarsm, some
| times lawlessly overstep the bound of their
neighbours liberties, it is no more
| than we should expect / should say
/ something about how these liberties were gained
| and maintained down to the Reformation. The
| history of the guilds has not yet been written
and we but pick up a scrap here and there at
| great expense and labor
| The little interest English-speaking Catholics
take in the history of their forefathers and the
absolute impossibility of any Catholic historian
depending upon them for support is why SO little
| of this has been written.
| The middle ages was great era of organiza-
| tons, and men sought everywhere to accomplish
| much by combining with others. The action of
| the church in sanctioning such orders the
| Benedictine Carmeites, the followers of ST.
Bruno. St. Bernard and St Dominic, as well
as those for special objects, like the Knights
Hospitalers of ST. John, the Society for
the Redemption of Captives, the Truce of