Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-11-21
MAY SUCCEED POPE LEO.
An Interesting Interview with
 Cardinal Rampolla.
What the Man Most Likely to succeed to the PapaI Chair Has to Say of the Present In-
 eumbenf.
fCopyright. 1S97.l


 4 prospective change in the incum- bent of the papal chair not only marks m epoch in the Catholic church, but creates great excitement here in the Eternal city. Judging from the amount of gossip as to who will be his sue cessor, the conclusion seems inevitable that Leo NILS days are numbered; and not only is the religious world agi- tated by these reports. but Italy and other European states watch develop ments with a high degree of interest. It needs no prophet to declare that a change may be followed by anomentous consequences to both church and state.
 To interview the present pontif at first-hand is out of the question. The next person in power and influence is his eminence, Mariana, Cardinal Ram pella, secretary of state for the vati- can This great churchman is almost at the top of the ecclesiastical ladder, and the talk here is that he will sooner or later climb into the chain of St. Peters. He. is one of the four chief of fieers of=the pope, and has been sig nally honored by the holy father. Leo XIII. was himself raised to one. of these high positions only the yeai. be fore he was elected pope. As secre- tary of state, Cardinal Bampolla meets the holy father nearly every day in the year for conference and instruction on matters of church policy. He is, as it were, the visible hand of the inVisi- ble head of the church; and he is all the more interesting just now because of his predicted succession to the chair of St Peters.
 Hence determined to call upon Car dinal Rampolla.
 The way to the cardinals apart ments lis up a winding stair" and you are pretty tired by the time you reach there. The era of elevators has not yet dawned upon the Eternal city, and churchmen and others having busi- ness with the secretary of state must aecustom themselves to plenty of exer- else to reach these ecclesiastical heights.
 Upon presenting my card at the big bronze doors, the captain of the Swiss guards, resplendent in. the costume of the papal gems d'armes, conducted me to the cardinals suite of rooms, 175 marble steps heayenward to the fourth story of the vatican. I learned after ward that the pope's apartments are immediately beneath The cardinals rooms are fitted up more e1aborately than those of our own state depart ment ct Washington. On the walls of the first chamber are beautiful paint ings of the holy father the penitent Magdalen. the Transfguratfon and St Jefome's last communion, while in the center of the room is a large confer enee table, something like the one used by the presidents cabinet at the white house.
 Cardinal Rampol1a himself is t9ipi- cal Italian-a fine specimen of man, both from q physical and an intel leetual point of view His manner and appearance strongly call to mind the great Cardinal Riehelieu; if ever there were diplomat, Cardinal Rampolla is one. He is suave, eonsiderate, courte- ous and seems just the man to look after the affairs of state at this crucial period of the ehurch's history.
 I first inquired of the cardinal if it were true that the pope was soon to issue an encyclieal asking Christendom to assist him in regaining his temporal authority.
 His eminence promptly characterized such a report as without foundation I inferred from his manner that the