The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-18
LEO XIII. TO THE ITALIANS.
HIS ENCYCLICAEA DIFECr CHALLENGE
TO THE MoNARCHK

King huubert Leaves Rome to the Pope.
RoNs. Aug. 13.-Lco Kills encyelical to
the bishops. the clergy and tho people OF italy
marks the eliminating point IT the Papal
policy toward the Quirinal. With skrene per-
severance the Holy Father has followed all the
dark windings of the third Rome" whlsA
makes use Of all means to bring about the
surrender OF the Holy See; the invasion
through the Porta Pia. the diplomatic in
trigues and Offers OF agreement. the attempt
to create a new Rome that should serve as a
screen in front of the city OF the Popes. the
liberal paganism, the prosecutions Of SiGnor
Crispi. the conciliating attitude OF the Marquis
dt Rudini up to the time OF the Milan uprising.
and finally the coup d'etat against the orRani-
zation OF the Papal party. These varied MAJ
chinations had but one object. to wrcst from
the Pope the cancellation Of the electoral
NON sep dit" in order that the Quirinal may
have the support Of the Catholics In the strug-
gle against the forces OF disruption in the
young and b~ungling kingdom.
Leo XIII. puts an end. in solemn and authen-
tic form, TO all the hopes and all the Illusions
OF the third civilization" Italy is theretors
condemned to radical changes il the Quirinal
does not remove elsewhere the capital of the
country. for it Is no longer possible to be de-
ceived with foolish hopes; even a powerful
Government founded on the rock could not
get the better Of the inviolable and irrepres-
sible conscience OF a universal moral power,
based on the public opinion Of $50. 900, 900
faithful souls. That is the historical meaning
Of this memorable document in so far as the
Roman question Is concerned.
Its general import Is this: Leo XIII. In the
face Of the fierce persecution against Catholio
institutions and Catholic newspapers. solemnly
asserts his responsibility for the organization
OF the Christian democracy OF Italy. This
social policy of the Holy Father. and the en-
cyclical does not disguise the fact. has sprung
from the sight OF the misery Of the people
and from the inability which the Govern-
ment shows in meeting the new demands.
According to the Holy Father. the State,
by suppressing ecclesiastical property and the
patrtmony OF the monks, has dried up tho
springs whence flowed the riches OF the people.
Those lands, scattered over all parts OF Italy,
were the great reservoirs of the public for
tune. The peasants and the poor drew their
living from them. Before the sequestration OF
this property the people had a last resource in
cases OF urgent need. The reservoirs are now
dried up: the capital has been squandered.
The megalomaniac Government has turned ft
into cannon and ambitious war vessels. Tho
money OF the Church. OF the congregations
and OF the country has emiGrated. especially to
England. With the disappearance OF coin
came a ferocious and Infamous fiscal sys-
tenn. Deprived of their capital. the peasant and
the landowner are pressed by the agents OF
the treasury. who. being paid n percentage on
the contributions, Cypress and exhaust the
poorman. while the ten thousand rich men. by
coming to an understanding with the collec-
tors. enjoy exceptional privile ges.
Such is the origin OF the poverty and famine
in Italy. The latest statistics show us the
acuteness and depth Of the disease. The
peasant either finds nothing to eat or else emil
CRATES. He has become, as has the working
man. the slave Of modern society. He is con-
demned in all parts OF the country to carry ont
the hardest labors for very low wages. In the
greater part OF the villages there is no bread:
there is no longer any question OF meat. 1t is
the policy OF misery and OF famine.
In the presence Of this permanent plague
Leo XIII. has given the Bishops. priests. and
laymen the order to go to the people" BY es-
tablishing parish associations, workingmen's
clubs. popular banks. agricultural savings
banks. economic bakeries. syndicates OF all
kinds. Papal Italy. under the direction Of the
Pope. has created a new policy OF economic aid
against the heartIess oppression OF the des-
perate State. The Government. as every one
knows now since the revelations Of the Milan
trial. fastened. encouraged. and brought
about the riots at Milan in order to overthrow
this social bulwark. Anything rather than the
salvation OF the country by the Pope and
those faithful to him. such is the handspring Of
the policy Of the kingdom. The Quirinal neither
would nor could long endure the comparison
between the fruitful action OF the Church and
the policy Of the Government. which treated the
nation as a private farm. The QuirinaI has
neither the ability nor the time to relieve the
country exhausted by its Inflated policy, but
neither can it permit an independent force to
come into being which will draw to itself the soul
Of the country and acquire popularity without
s~uccumbinR to this new power and to the
weight OF its crimes. That is the secret Of
the situation. Imagination recoils afHrighted
before the tragedy and its consequences.
Doubtless the Papal party. the vanguard
OF Italian Catholicism. will weave together
again. one by one, all the meshes OF the organ
ization that has been destroyed. The adher.
ents Of the Pope will gradually set up once more
the 1900 establishments which the Govern
ment has dissolved. During the work OF
reorganization. however. the people groan and
suffer. The Q%uirinal. dragged along by the
forces OF DISCRIMINATION. is rushing on toward
brutal solutions " Ruit viribus suis."
Where is salvation to be found? Where are
the means Of rehabilitation In spite Of the
passive and somewhat Oriental character of the
people. q moment will come when the centrifu-
gal forces will get the upper hand Of the power
of conservation. Before the "RisorRimento%
Mr.. Gladstone. VIII had been q witness Of the
lack OF justice in the small Italian States,
raised an outcry against such crimes. In Isl
on his return from Italy. he. who had
helped to set up the Quirinal machine. ad-
dressed a new protest to Europe against the
Ubiquitous system OF the monarchical Govern.
ment.. The article in the Contemporary Reuielo.
L will be remembered. was signed, Quits" But
the European public understood neither the
Specification nor the truth OF the Indictment
which was stamped with the marks OF absolute
was alone in noticing the black spots on the
horizon. The public, however. has neither Inn
Partially nor sagacity; Il only sees an evil
consequences. Moreover, the Quirinal was en-
joying an impunity brought about blythe Triple
Christian powers in. the world, For the Jew.
the Precursor and the rationalistic liberal the
monarchy OF the house OF Savoy had at Rome
the mission Of being the outpost OF the revolu-
ton against the Christian ideal. We have had
indisputable. and hateful proof OF this alliance
during the bloody scenas az Milan and the cnnn