The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-26
THE cnorcE OF TIE NEXT F6PE
THe iunseuces that VIII Have TO no with
the Selection.

| OF Cardinal Rampolln. There is the secret
| OF the homo OF tomorrow" Under a
somewhat absolute form this opinion
| is tho actual truth. Tho Secretary of
| State OF Leo NH. will be tho grand cleo
| tor OF the successor of his present master.
| Ho will be to the future Conclavo what Car
dinal Bartolni was to the Conciave OF 1878.
tho Interpreter Of the Holy Spirit. The
youngest of tho Cardinals. with rapid
and brilliant career. n pupil OF the
Academy OF Ecclesiastical Mobiles. Auditor
Of Cardinal Simeoni in the Office of Nuncio
Mt Madrid. Secretary Of the Propaganda In
Oriental Affairs. Secretary OF Extraordinary
Ecclesiastical Affairs, Nunco at Madrid. aud
finally Secretary OF State. Cardinal Rampola
represents especially the general policy Of The
Holy Sec. Tall aud thin. with sparkling coal
black eyes. u striking likeness and aristoc-
recy Of features extremely cultivated. and Of
character tempered in thu most rigorous
school OF ascetlcism, the Cardinal constitutes q
portrait which exceeds the frame in which It
is placed. A Sicilan, he has all tho sincerity
all the frankness all the energy. and MI the
effervescence in sentiment and ideas Of Crispi.
his compatriot and his enemy. Tho Sicilans
form distinct people in modern 1tnly.
They have retained from tho Spaniards
all their oraRdezkd OF display. from the Nor
mans all their rcctilincar and exclusive stub
bornness. from tho Byzantines and the Greeks
their lucidty of mind and Oriental imagina
tion 1t is reported that Mgr. Galinberti. when
he was Nuncio at Vienna. allowing himeelf to
be carried away by his love of classic QUOTA
tons. wrote to tho Vatican in noto upon the
diplomacy OF NJ. Crispi: "Insu'ares o'nnes mali.
Sic,t't cutegn pessisni." 1t is not Known whether
this saying Of Cicero pleased Cardinal Ram
polla. Tho shrewdest arc sometimes absent
mir dad Tn11n ri nln ~ ~
such i'm prudences. never permitting himself to
be dominated by the ideas of others. But II
the Siciians have this reputation. they form
a splendid figure when they are carved out Of
the old granite Of the island
Like NJ. Crispi. Cardinal Rampollh belongs
to this moral and intellectual family The
fourth Secretary of State. he was the first to
have any personal influence upon Leo MIL
Cardinals Franchi. Nina. and Jacobini were
Interpreters and appliers OF the ideas OF the
Pope; they were never central figures with a
personal purpose. Since tho death Of Mgr. Boo
cali. the confdant Of Leo KILL. the man who
represented in the Vatican the secret du yoi:
that is to say. the true and unrevcaled policy of
the master Cardinal Eampolln has no longer
any opposing influences to contend against.
With age. Leo XIII. has become disinterested
in regard to a number of secondary questions.
He confines himself TO important affairs and
to general direction. Tho place that tho
Secretary OF State occupies is becoming more
and moro wide and preponderant. He is to
Leo MIL what Cardinal Bossarion was to
Plus III. and to Paul H.. the suggestive man.
tho right arm of his initiative. Tho Neapol-
itan and Sicilian Cardinals. to tho number OF
sixteen, are his friends and prot6gcs. Tho
Project Of tho Propaganda. the Red Pope
owes his appointment to him. Was Cardinal
10 In d nj Of bo xrb ho
made that nomination? Did he wish to break
the influence Of those Cardinals who are too
Roman. too conciliatory. and rather favorable
to the triple alliance by taking away from
them their most influential man? Since Car
dinal Rampolla watches closely all the cur
rents runnin: toward the future Conclave. it is
pretty certain that his acts also arc in cor
relation with tho evcntuality OF the near cleo
ton OF Pope.
SO much for the man. for tho politician. for
tho diplomat. Tho situation OF the latter
favors the ideas Of the former: and these
two influences united will make OF tho Cardt-
nal the centre Of the future Conclave. He
will DO like tho Gonsalvi Of Plus VII. who
dominated tho Concave Of Venice
Cardinal Rampolla is indeed the rival. tho
dreaded and detssted enemy OF tho triple
alliance. The day he came into Office he cried
out, pointing to the powers which by their
contacts with King Humbert are post
ponng the return Of Rome to the Pope:
These are our advcrsarics p He has
struggled since 1885 with these chiefs
OF the European diplomatic hegemony. AL
ways indefatigable never cast down even in the
days when the greatest statesmen were COM
batting his influence and laying traps for his
downfall. he has slowly weighed upon the de-
cisions OF Leo XIII. His pertnacity amounts
To ropus Lao XIII cboppnd bis rolior .!nr1
since 1889 he has leaned toward France. toward
democracy. and tho republic. That was his
rupture with the triple alliance, and this rup-
ture has become to-day an Interchangeable fact
Just as Count Rovertera. tho Ambassador OF
AustD-IIunGary at the Vatican. represented
Cancellation and the allurement OF the Holy
See into the Austro-G German orbit, the
Cardinal represented and protected France
democracy. and the republic. Now
Count Revertera has failed: and IL
he is logical and proud. no has nothing to do
but pack his trunks. He is tho vanquished foe
OF the Secretary of State. Nevertheless
tho triple alliance has this year made an at
tack. in tho form OF favors and seductions upon
the Holy Father Speeches OF Kalnoky upon
the Roman question. the intervention Of
Francis Joseph. ecclesiastical concessions
at Berlin. at Vienna. and at Buda -Pesth. all
the great measures that have beon brought
into the game. have exploded In the hands
OF Count Revertera like pistols badly loaded.
Tho conIueror OF o-day Is. therefore. dcsig-
mated as the man charged with tho principal
r6lo mt the decisive moment.
The question which will be uppermost in tho
next Conclavc. will be the Roman question.
Whether tho Sacred College holds its session
in tho ancient city or in n foreign land it must
bend under this pre6ccupation. The election
OF the future Pore will by the force OF things DO
n protest against the status quo and against
the sojourn of King Iiumbert and tho Italian
State In Rome Tho house Of Savoy. the Cabi-
nets Of Vienna. Berlin. and perhaps OF London.
feel so profoundly that this is the handspring
OF the Pontiflcal policy thatthey have used all
sorts Of articles to diminish this opposition.
and to prepare the Concluve as they
wish it to DO. But al! tho noise Of NJ.
Crispi. the secret comlintions Of the court
Of tho Quirinal with the Baplatz OF
Vienna and tho Inter den Linden OF Berlin.
and the effect Of these movements at Madrid
and Lisbon. have only served to increase the
dstrust of the Holy Father aud to consolidate
the persona! position Of the Cardinal In the
eyes Of all those who are acquainted with tho