The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-09

Querors. But already the house Of sa-
voy has begun a series of far-off cam
pa1gns with an eye to ultimate saccess.
What concerns it above all is the pre-
parat1on of the cOnclave, with the object
OF having a pope come out of it who
would close his eyes to the plan of lib
Grafton. 1t counts upon certain cardinals
and prelates and Catholic groups. It be-
Heyes it can rely on effective assistance
both in and out of the conclave. LutI-
cram Germany favors the new intrigue
For greater safety choice of two can
didates has been made; if they fail in
the first ballot a less compromised can
didate is held in reserve for the second
italian and German Catholics are giving
their aid to these tactics. To detach the
pope from France, to rally the Italians
to the monarchy by means of electoral
and parliamentary co-opera ton would
be, the shrewdest say, to consolidate. the
Triple Alliance and to march firmly
toward the establishment of an empire
OF the west under the seepter of Wilhelm
IL
When. a year ago. I described this
petent judges looked ON the plan as a
mere Illusion. Today all political men
have become convinced of the reality of
the German scheme. So much for the
conspiracy; now for the other side
Never would Rome, they say around
the Vatican place her forces at the
service of such policy The empire of
the West would be the empire of Protes-
tanism. Wilhelm II. is driving with
great skill an ill-assorted team. He is
stratning with all his might to Prussian-~
lie Central Europe and has in this the
he has attained his end he will dismiss
his allies. Before 1870, in order to iso-
late France at Rome as we'll as through
out the world, Prussia granted a con-
stitution that was favorable in part to
the autonomy and liberty of the church
After Sedan, the Kulturkampf broke out
The Kettelers, Reichenspergers, and
Mallinckrodts wept over their illusions.
Prince Bismarck kicked away with his
foot the convenient ladder which had
served to raise him UP. Who will guar
antee that this episode will not be re-
peated? Who will assure US that prom
ises will be kept loyalty?
ROME FEARS THE PRUssIANs.
Rome fears the. :Prussians, and she is
right, in doing so. Since the reign of
the first German emperor Prince Bis
marck has transmuted the spirit of the
race, or, rather, he has poured the Prus-
sian spirit into the whole nauonal soul.
Once upon time Germany was a patch
work of peaceful peoples, with modest
demands without pride or ambition.
Poetry, science and art embellished and
filed up life. Today Germany is becOnn-
ing PruSSian. It has the spirit of pride,
Of selfshness, of conquest, and of fanati-
natieism; it is a nation full of insolence
and self-sufficiency. 1t stops at nothing.
When Prince Bismarck uttered the pre-
tentious phrase: 1--WE fear God, and we
fear naught else" he gave Germany its
psychology. The German lives on that
phrase and on that sentiment. He re-
members the Talmud Of the rabbis; the
worlds have been creat ted to serve for
the glory of Germany. What place would
be left for the papacy in this new hege- |
mony?
That is why the collaboration of Ber-
lin in the conclave plan and papal policy
of the Quirinal renders that ingenious
scheme hopelessly barren, The holy see
is not ignorant Of the tortuous ways of
intrigue, that is to say every precau-
ton has been taken to bring to naught
these anti-Roman ambitions.