The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-19
MORE CATHOLIC REACTION.
BELGIAN BETRAYAL OF LEO xTTI,S
POLICY OF CATHOLIC SOCIALISM

sets the Clerical Combination - III,
Union with Kaiser wilhelm to Resist
Pnpnl Progress Toward Democracy.
ROME. Feb. liking Leopold Of Belgium Ia
a fox and ambitious. His features show rest.
l~essness, cunning and boldness, the three siens
OF a manager OF men. He has distant hon,
and vast thoughts In general politics
his part Is to make adjustments between Lon.
don and Berlin. He Is the Continental soldIor
OF England on account OF the Congo; he ia thu
servant OF Wilhelm H., to whom he promise.
assistance In case of war against France. A
Rome he courts dexterously and assiduouslv
Pope and Cardinals. Here he is a partner o,
the German Emperor. with tho object Of secur.
ing the election OF q reactionary Pope In tina
future and OF Wrestling from France the pre-.
pouderance In the Catholic domain. That ia
why he has been entreating the Pope for thu
last two years to concede TO him q Belgian Car
dlnal Of the Curia, but as NJ. Hanotaux has
vetoed such a creation under the pretext that
France should receive one first. the Kings
wish has not yet b~eenJulnlled.
At present Leo XIII. is much worried over 4
sort ofcoup d'6tat that Leopold has recently
carried out ut Brussels. The King. who reirns
and who governs. wishes TO force upon the peo-
pie the lone name vote" Bara, the former
Liberal Minister. to-day holds 1.-The King,
secret" as they used to say in the eighteenth
century. The Frere-Orban party has no longer
any existence ut the polls since the district
system Of voting came in. Crushed between
the great bodies Of Catholicism and Socialism.
II has sunk to the condition OF n quantity that
may be neglected. II. however. Belgium
should be divided into 152 autonomous dis.
trlcts. local influences or acquired positions
may restore 1t to animation.
The cities would take tho party back, whie
the Catholics would become merely a rural
party. 1t would mean the return to the scene
OF the anti-religious party. the breaking up OF
the Catholic majority. and the destruction OF
the great Conservative associations. Once be-
fore. three years ago., the Conservative Catho-
lies obeyed the King by cutting of their Social
list and Democratic appendaRe. That was tho
first act in the drama which will end with their
complete defeat.
1t will be remembered that In 1895 a coalition
Of soverelgns. of Cardinals and OF conservatives
was formed throughout the world for the pur-
pose OF resisting the democratic Catholics Car
dinal Won Schoenborn. in the name OF Emperor
Francis Joseph; Cardinal Kopp. in behalf II
Wilhelm H., and the King OF the Belgians. on
his own account. begged the Pope to disavow
his supporters. the Christian democrats. Some
Belgian conservative groups supported this
irreverent demand. Leo XIII. remained in
flexible. Nevertheless. in Germany the Centre
sailed with all sail set into imperialism.
bNtSbtulilb lukl. heJIClGT y report III DEL
GUM the Conservatives repudiated the Catho-
lie democrats. Wilhelm IL. at the time of his
last journey to Rome. declared in person to tho
Holy Father that he looked upon those who
should favor democracy as his foes. At a cele-
brated audience Cardinal Kopp explained 10
the Pope that the Catholic socialists held no
position and that the elem ents composing the
status quo were able to check for some time
the triumph OF progress and OF democracy. 1t
is the policy of Louis XIV: After us let tho
deluge come" 1t will be understood easily
that Leo XIII. did not appreciate this short
sighted wisdom. He knows that Louis
Philippe's cab Is in waiting for sovereigns and
men who content themselves with resisting
the stronger side " of their period in the
middle of a revolution. to use Rivarol's phrase.
Catholic democrats doubtless do not form an
organized and powerful party in all countries.
They represent more and less. They form .
new atmosphere in which new politics will
flourish they are owing ideas: they are re-
newinG the brains of their contemporaries.
When the storm swoops down upon the plain
they will be the guardians and the savers OF
the Church.
The King OF the Belgians triumphed In 1895:
he triumphs to-day. He is his own President
of the Council. He Is the dictator. The weak
ness and the concessions OF the Conservatives
have mpelled him to carry out the part OF a
Louis XIV. on a petty scale. A partisan and n
skeptic. a Liberal and an Opportunist. he has
fought against the Catholics. whils
making use of them and directing them. Now.
at this sudden act. two Ministers alone. NJ. de
de Nayern and NJ. Nyssens. have dared to
resist the new Charles the Bold. I will
point out that the former represented the
party OF social reforms at Client. the latter the
progressive Catholics Of Louvain.
This second act OF the drama will soon be
by another which will be called the
policy OF reaction under the protection Of ths
King. OF NJ. Bara and of NJ. Woeste. 1 fear
that the fourth act may mark the suicide Of the
Catholic party. in preparation for the last.
the cab OF Louis Philippe and an at
tempt at legal socialism. These are gloomy
forebodinRs. but they are shared by enlight-
ened Belgians. 1t is the obstinacy of Kings
and the complaisance OF conservatives that
have always brought about the ruin OF coun-
tries. The curious point about all this Is that
every Catholic Belgian looks on the King as
the enemy Of the Church.
l regret all the more that all German and
Catholics prefer to obey the Pope Of
Lutheranism and the Pope Of Liberalism rather
than the Pope OF Rome. Is It not astounding
that In the countries where Catholicism is or
into a political and social power some
conservatives prefer the smile of the sovereign
TO the fundamental interests OF society and Of
he church, 1t looks as If. throughout tho
World; we were to witness a last and formida-
Dur one hope Is IN our great Pope,
Most Holy Father."t should like to cay, IL
had any authority. in former times Philip
he Fair resisted your power In the name OF the
avs; with the compllcity of a few Bishops.
'ob you ana decimate and divide your best
roons. More subsequent than strong, moro
than enlightened. these Catholics
'annot look; as you do. over the horizon and
!rasp the whole situation. These soyereigns
imagine that they are checking the future;
hey do not see that you alone, In drawing uS
n II the way : OF action and OF progress, hay?
history. The moment Is a decisive one"
INSoMISATo-