The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-01-28
The President and the pope.

the civilized world sent him presents,
some of great value and some merely
significant as recognition of his po-
sition. Some were sent con dmOre
from Catholic potentates, AS from
Spain and Austria. others simply as
so much "taffy." as from Bismarck,
Queen Victoria and President Cleye-
land.
The two latter have been a good
deal taken to task on account of their
gifts by numbers Of Protestants and
Protestant newspapers, who allege
that inasmuch as the Pope is not a
temporal sovereign, although claim
ing to be one, their gifts were neither
respectful to the King of Italy, who
claims the Pope for subject, nor to
the prevailing religious sentiment of
their own countries. They alege that
inasmuch as he is merely the head of
a church and occupies purely eccle.
siastical position, that therefore his
anniversaries are to be no more recog-
nized than those of tine primates of
the English or Greek Churches, both
of which are rival churches In the
sense of. claiming to be the original
church.
Queen Victoria is accused of trying
to propitiate the Pope in favor of her
Tory police in Ireland, and President
Cleveland is accused of having his re-
nomination and reelection in view.
AS for Bismarck, his object is well
known. He has been for good while
at work conciliating the Vatican,
using the power of the church in and
out of the Reichstag to check mate the
Socialists, of whom he has in the last
two or three years become decidedly
afraid.
The Sultan of Turkey, who is clear
outside of any sort of religious SYM
pashy with the Pope, pretty near
bankrupted himself in order to send
an expensive present expressive of
his high consideration. Like Bis
marck, he had well known object
in view, which was to secure intlu-
> ence at Vienna and throughout the
Catholic provinces of Germany,
against his mortal enemy, the Rus
sian bear.
Thus we see that everybody had
an axe of some kind to grind. Even
Austria and Spain felt that the in
fiuence of the Pope is a good spoke
in their wheels, and that it pays to
put him under little sense of obli-
cation, inasmuch as there is no
knowing when they may be involved
in complication with the other
powers. So they like to have little
credit in bank at Rome to check on
in possible day of trouble.
Now so far as our beloved Presi-
dent is concerned, he touched the
business somewhat lightly. We sup
pose he did not feel justified in draw
ing on the contingent fund of the
State department for anything very
expensive, nor on the other hand did
he care to 60 down very deep into
his own pocket. So he sent to the
Pope handsomely bound and in
scribed copy of the Constitution of
the United States.
This interesting volume was for
mally presented to the Pope by Arch.
bishop Ryan day or two ago, and
certainly when our two hundred and
fifty pound President read that speech
Of the Archbishop he must have felt
that he had his money back with in
terest. We presume that he never
knew so well before what a good man
he is, nor how worthy to sit in his
exalted seat.
OF course every rose has its thorn,
and now Grover is catching it fresh
in sundry resolutions and newspaper
articles, all accusing him, in SUBJ
stance. of bending the hinges of his
knee that thrift may follow fawn.
ing" The fact that he holds a pew
in the most elegat Presbyterian
church in Washington, and attends
services there with tolerable regular
| lily, counts for little. He is neverthe.
less suspected of casting his net into
the sea for fishes. Or. in other words,
of counting sympathetic support in
New York and other large cities.
We feel bound to say for Grover
I that this is his first offense," (of the
kind,) and that we must not wholly
ignore the presence of rivalry with
Governor Hill in New York, which
is more or less formidable, and that
after all, considering the size of his
present. he cannot be regarded as
smitten with any great personal or
ecclesiastical affection for the Pope.
The Pope understands this matter.
The Archbishop has explained it
all privately. He has told him that
a prominent Republican candidate
for the Presidency, who will prob