Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-11-29
Premier Crispi on the Temporal Power.

The following passage relating to the
temporal power of the pope was translated
for the New York Evening Post from the
speech of Premier Crispi, recently deliver
ed In Palermo, to which the telegraph re-
ferred few days since:
Il shall not waste words in proving the
right of Italy and of the Roman people to
Rome. The Italians having by universal
suffrage proclaimed their national unity
ana independence under the parliamentary
government of the house of Savoy, Rome
could not be excluded from the national
jurisdiction. Since 1860 the right of the
Italians to the possession of Rome had
been established, and it was in 1870 that
that right was executed as a matter of
fact. Indeed, the right of Italy to her own
historical capital has never been subject
of serious discussion. By the very right
of their existence all nations exist within
their geographical boundaries; and there
is no nation whose boundaries are 50 well
defined and so strongly protected as those
of Italy. Natio quja Rata.
The pope as temporal prince had no
more right to his throne than the other de-
throned princes; nor had the Roman peo-
pie less right to dispose of themselves than
other Italian citizens. Those princes ruled
either by right of usurpation or by right of
treaties; but no usurpatlon, no treaty i'm
posed by force or otherwise. can stand in
opposition to the right of national exist
nce, of freedom and independence
right which Is superior to all artificial ar
engagements or conventions, and which
cannot be destroyed by conquest, donation.
or occupation.
The temporal power of the popes was
therefore but a transitory period IN the
life Of Rome. which rose, lived, and ruled
over the world long before the appearance
of the pope-kings; and Rome can and will
now live without that power. She will
live and remain an integral part of the
nation with OF without the consent Of the
pope. Neither insidiOus intrigues at
home nor violence abroad. neither cries
nor threats, can ever prevail.
interpreting the sentiment Of all Ital-
ians, our august king proclaimed some
time since that Rome, as the capital of
new Italy, was intangible This defines
the supreme law of Italy, the law of mod
ern civilization.
"Of this law, as far as it concerns relig-
ious liberty, Italy stands its representative
in Rome 1t is in the name of this liberty
that we have secured to the Catholic church
her complete freedom in the exercise of
her religious functions 1t is from Rome
that the chief of that church freely speaks
to his faithful throughout the world: and
it is from Rome that he freely provides for
the general interest of his spiritual do
minlOn.
But in securing this absolute freedom
for the pope. we are also eager. as it is our
duty. to prevent his ecclesiastical jurisdic-
ton from interfering with the free exercise
Of our rights. Hence the laws of which
the pope complains. and which prevail
even in a more rigid form in all other
Catholic countries. This perfect freedom
which we leave to the pope in his religious
sphere We gladly extend to all other
churches: indeed, to all intellectual mani
festations. If there was time when the
pOpes in Rome became the jailors of Ital-
ian freedom, Italy cannot without
suicide become jailOr of the human con-
science.
Let every creed therefore live its own
life; let the church look for a restoration
of her temporal power through the moral
forces at her command; let her seek to
parayZe four centuries of victories in the
field of free thought and private judg. nent:
let her seek again to chain Promelueus.
who insisted on seeing Jupiter and on pass
ing Judgment on him: let her strive to
brighten him with the lightning of heav-
en-, now that he has won his liberty on the
earth As for ourselves. it is our duty to
do battle for Justice liberty, and reason:
it is our duty to make Italy the champion
of this struggle. If we have any merit in
this, it Is in having perfectly understood
the nature of the combat and if we have
any consolation in carrying out that strug-
gle. 1t Is in the cooperation we have 1e-
ceived from all living Italy. and in the
sympathy which is bestowed upon Us by
all the educated portion of the world.
In the life of a Russian peasant there is
a period anterior to all TUNES. NANTES. and
even >heapSkins. during which he lives
kind II mummy life. The author of "A
Jour-cv pra North speaks thus of the
peas; II habyhood: The youngest chill
dren are always swaddled and rolled up
tightly in bandages, so that they may be
conveniently put away without the risk of
getting Themselves into mischief or danger.
| ent-re a peasants house, and my f~su
thought was that the Russian peasants had
their idols and penates, with their heads
carved ont in a remarkably ife-like man
ner. the bodies being left IN block. rudelv
cut. cHe OF lHe>e IdoIS WAS II ing On
shelf. another hung to the wall on a peg.
and third swung over one Of the main
beams of the roof. looked curiously. and
saw the eyes turn and the head move
Why. that is a child cried in astonish-
ment. What else would it be3' the
mother asked. | went up to the little fig
ure which hung from the wall and inspect
ed it more closely. On a nearer view. I
was impressed by the extreme untidiness
of the little creature. ! could not resist
asking if the mother often washed these
Swaddled babies Washed almost
Shrieked the mother. washed, what. wash
a baby? You would Kill it. =