The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-08-23
CLERICAL FUNDS BILL.
It Was Herr Svindhors and HIS Partl
.5 W no ~ on the Victory.

Il wa. Herr ,yind horst ana His Party
no Won the Victory.
The Governments Clerical Funds bill
has been defeated in the Prussian Land.
tag and it was Herr Wi thorst and the
Catholic party who really secured the
defeat Of that inadeq uate measure says
the 'Freeman's Journal = Mail advicea
now place the case in it's fullness. 1t Is
an important chapter in history and
has very curious episode in it, to which
we shall refer presently.
Some of the non-C Catholic members
declared that the bill WAS an exceed
ingly liberal one towards the Church.
The same impression seems to
prevail in this country. Cable
accounts have simply said that the
Prussian Government proposed to pay
the Church 6,O00,0 900 annually; and 1t
was, indeed, studied attempt on the
part of the State to make the meas ure
as free grant. Such, however, was
not the case The 5000, 900 marks
represented the interest, calculated at
81 per cent. upon the Church property
conf seated by the State during the
Kulturkampf Herr Windthorst made
four demands. i. That the amount
be increased to 5000, 900 marks. 2.
That the sum be paid at once to
the Church, and not apportioned
and doled out at the discretion
of the Government 8. That no part Of
it should be paid to the societies
known as 'tOld Catholics" and that the
Church buildings they have seized,
through Government connivances, be
returned to their rightful owners. 4.
That the Government thought s, 0OO,.
600 too much, let it return the prin-
ciple, with interest to date, and thus
end all dispute over the matter.
Now the curious episode was this: At
each of the three readings Of the bill,
DR.. Won Gossler steadily asserted that
the Pope had approved the measure, on
the basis of tclerari posse. His per-
sistance in .reiterating the statement
that the Holy See and the Episcopate
had applied the tolerant posse to the
project of law in question, at length
brought Herr Windthorst to the floor,
and he delivered q fiery speech, in the
course of which he said:
eyes, it is true, the Minister of Wor-
ship has shown us q mutilated docu-
ment pointing towarda tolerant posse
This document was without date or
place, and everything which would
make clear its origin had been elimin-
ated from it.
''Yet, you wish us to regard this as
a decision of the Holy Father. man
of law would not attribute any value
to document so mutilated, and in
justice he would not admit It as proof.
Here they think they can pass it off as
a proven document, obtained through
ways known only to those who practice
diplomatic processes. Nevertheless, I
have no hesitation in declaring anew
that the Holy See has never, at any
time, or in any manner, taken posi-
tion in this affair.
ut has held to strict neutrality,
while leaving the solution to the Epis-
copate and the legislative vote, so far
as the Center yields this last. It is
not, therefore, tolerant posse, it is
simply recommendation that the
Center do that which morality and
justice directs.
'The Holy See is not in the habit of
taking Us collectively and saying to us:
DO this, do that Rome says: You
have Moses and his Prophets conform
to the law We have our principles,
and We shall hold them in tranquility
until the day when our ecclesiastical
superiors shall declare that our atti-
tude is contrary to the doctrines of the
Church and to morality"
The Center, upon this, voted solidly
with the opposition, and the Clerical
Funds bill was thrown out on the third
reading. DR.. Gossler had been so conf
dent in his attitude that the more timid
memb ers rather held back, until DR..
Windthorst showed how weak was the
Governments case. Now, Herr Wind
thorst has been justified in his stand.
The passage reads: "The Pope has been
questioned by high German parsonage
in regard to report concerning the re-
jeotion Of the project of law, and he has
approved in all points the attitude of
the Center"
And so passes away an Important
chapter Of history, with very curious
episode. Seldom has such effrontery
been exhibited by Government Minis
ter as that showed by DR.. Gossler in
his foolish and persistent mis-state
ment.
The Trans-sahara Enterprise.
Cardinal Lavigerie has written let
ter to NJ. Georges ROLAND, the engineer
and principal promoter of the scheme