The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-05-22
THEPOPES POWER
QUESTION OF THE REsToRA-
TIoN OF HIS POWER.
POSITION OF THE PRELATEs.
Increase of the Church Party in the
Italian arliament-popular Apathy
on the Subject.
QUESTION OF THE REsToRA'
POSITION OF THE PRELATEs
ENGLAND.
rEMpoRA1 POWER on rHE POPE.

TEMPORAL POWER OF THE POPE.
LONDON, May 15-The threatened pro-
mitigation by the pope of the dogma that
the temporal power of the pontiff, of which
the church was deprived by the advent OF
Victor Emanuel into Rome in 1870, is essen
tial to the complete majesty of the Vice Re
gent of Christ on earth, is the theme OF
general discussion in Catholic circles on the
Continent. The decision of sixty-six of the
hundred bishops, whose views of the mat
ter were solicited by the pope, is that the
present time is opportune for declaration
of this principle, evlnces positive swerv-
ing of popular opinion, for it is not to be
presumed that these prelates have all, or
even a considerable minority of them,
gone contrary to the known tendencies OF
their hocks.
The fact that the Italian bishops opposed
the PRONUNCIATION of the dogma is not to be
taken as evidence of their belief that the &C.
cupant of the chair of st. Peter should not be
temporal as well as spiritual sovereign.
The clergy of Italy are placed in position
of such peculiar delicacy with regard to ex-
pressions of opinion on matters touching
the relation Of church and state that no
positive declaration of their approval could
be expected from them while the laity have
long since fallen into a state Of apathy as
regards both the pope and king, owing to
the unchanging condition of antagonism
between the vatican and the quirlnal,
which the lapse of twenty years has not
been sufficient to mollify or even change in
character.
The church party in the Italian parlia-
ment is slowly increasing in strength, and
to this extent it may be said that the popu-
lar feeling in favor of the restoration of the
papal kingdom has grown.
The people have simply lost all interest
I'm the matter because of the quiescence Of
the two opposing forces and neither one in
the present condition of things can claim
the approval of the populace in its course.
Therefore nothing short of overt hostil-
tiles between the vatican and the quirinal
can arouse the people of Italy to an active
interest in the question whether the pope
shall also be king or whether he shall
remain as he is, a virtual prisoner in the
largest palace in the world.
THE SIBERIAN cRUELTIEs.
LONDON, May 14.-If the car does not
take steps to modify the workings and
effects of the prison system in Siberia it
will not be because existing evils are not
called to his attention or at least to the no.
tice of his ministers and others around
ulul. "a pIlNdIo ulSpdlCu llOlu eISISpuIB
state that petitions from England, Amer
lea, Germany, France and other countries
are arriving at their respective embassies
and legations in great profusion with re-
quests that they be laid before the czar i'm
mediately. Forwarding petitions to Russia
is comparatively an easy matter, but laying
them before the car is quite another thing
and it is extremely doubtful that his i'm
perial majesty will ever SEGA single one of
the numerous appeals to his clemency in
behalf of the Siberian exiles, though h
will doubtless be informed as to their mum.
Der, volume and character. Government
officials still stoutly aver that the report
of cruelties to prisoners in Siberia are
rely false, and if anything is done to NIT
gate the condition Of these unfortunates i
s safe to say it will be so quietly that moth
ing will ever be definitely known as to lie
haracter and extent of the modificati