New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-08-28
TILE POPE AND TIE NEW KING.

The opinion was freely expressed, both before
and at his accession, that Victor Emmanuel Ill
of Italy would greatly change the attitude of the
Qurinal toward the Vatican. He was said to
be under clerical influences, and to be deficient
in strength of will, wherefore men predicted
that he would begin his reign with such conces-
sions to the Papacy as would practically amount
to a surrender of the ground acquired and
maintained by his father and grandfather at
such cost These predictions have not been
verified On the contrary. they were strongly
negatived by the King in his earliest utterances
after his accession. He made 1t perfectly plain
that, whatever else he might or might not do.
he would maintain the traditions OF his house"
Now, the great traditions Of the House OF Savoy
are two, to wit, constitutional government and
"a free Church in a free State" AS for the
unity of italy, with Rome as the national CAPT
tai, that is something more than tradition: 1t
is the cornerstone of the house.
Further and conclusive proof of the young
Kings intention to remain in civil matters indie
pendent of the Vatican, and to maintain the
present supremacy of the Quirinal, is found in
the circular letter which the Supreme POntlf
has just addressed to the Catholic Governments
of Europe protesting against the recognition of
Victor Emmanuel III as anything more than
King Of Sardinia, and renewing the Papal claim
to temporal sovereignty over the former States
of the Church. II is not supposable that the
Pope would issue such a letter If there were
any understanding between him and the King,
or, in his view of the case, any prospect of the
latter's proving more compliant with Vatican
demands than was his father. We may be sure
that shrewd and JudiciOus a statesman as
Leo XIII made himself certain of the facts in
the case in advance Of such pronouncement,
and issued the letter as only last resort, after
L. r1 . Q,,4 -
direct appeal to negotiations with the King.
The war between Vatican and Quirinal is still on.
The earnestness of the Pope's appeal is. how
ever equalled by its futility. It is, in the
first place, an appeal to a pltiful minority
Time was when an appeal TO the Catholic Pow
ers meant an appeal to the dominant bulk of
Europe. To-day it means an appeal to only one
important Power Austria Hungary. France, it
is true is nonlnally Catholic, but 1t is not sup
possible; that the republic could be led to take
part in a religiousdynastic controversy. Be
sides these, there are Spain. Portugal Belgium,
Monaco and Lechtenstein-a sorry showing as
against the rest of Europe. And in the second
place, it is an appeal against the logic of hered-
itary monarchism. All the European Govern
ments Catholic as well as on-Catholic, recog-
nized Humbert as King Of Italy. and accredited
their Ambassadors and Ministers to him. With
out repudiating the essential principle of their
own authority, they cannot possibly do other
wise than similarly recognize Victor Emmanuel
Ill There is no possible question of the legiti-
macy of his succession. If Humbert was King
of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III is King of Italy
and must be thus recognized. If Victor EN-
manuel III is not King, then Humbert was not
and the Powers must confess that for many
years they tolerated and recognized a usurper
The Pope's appeal. then, must be deemed a
mere matter Of form, from which no practical
result is to be expected. 1t may be true as a
matter of historical record, that Victor EN-
manuel II violated the Papal title to the States
Of the Church, and established his own thereto
by forcible conquest. But of the titles to how
many European realms could not the same be
said? 1t is OF interest to recall what King Will
lam of Prussia said at the end of the Seven
Weeks War: Political necessity forces us to
annex Hanover, Hesse Nassau and Frankfort:
FOR, If they retained their independence. they
would. owing to their geographical position. be
able to cause great difficulties and obstacles to
the RUSSIAN policy. To give the new
national formation of Germany broader and
"hrmer basis, we are under this necessity" We
may regard that as cynical and immoral But
1t was accepted by Europe and by the world
And that same principle of necessity" is domf
nant to-day among the Continental Powers. In
1t the italian King may find n logical yindica
ZION OF his title to the temporal patrimony Of
st. Peters