The sun., 1901-08-04
|loyE BOWS n FRENCH LAW.
.,o x,,y,slcONcgsss0Ns 70 sArE
THE COMING ELECTIONS.


vsscsts Avert Dsssas - Clseical
y,~,es-FYsta Eaectsrs Do Nst Care
,or Coasresi itssas -nasamrss - sscisi
n.sorm pr}psssd ~ Bssh Parties.
povr July 2S-Leo XIII. has managed
\, hold ou. agirst intrigues and strong
lure: the passing OF tho Associations
IN France WI not be the mark Of break
-.,h the republic. need not explain
-" reasons forthis Amphictyonio conduct.
;nsnired by the purest ssniments. by tho
,.vs a, once disinterssted and 20 per.
.oo.l for Frase and tho maintenance Of
..csr, traditions. The natural and dsspotio
...c,ion OF tn Dreyfus case on internal
.od general plitics, tho need the Pnpacy
s.. n France Or the spread Of tho higher
,.,.,,,s,s Of tn Church, the intermixture
os,oroes and petitions, many higher motives,
.,c,e strongly In favor Of the policy OF
s.Ipimizins' ne law. The question Of
=. religious oders, essential though II be.
!. merely a spoial case. Tho general and
fundamental itsrests Of the Church take
nrecedenos q particular and secondary
interests.
There is noting In the law. notwithstand-
,ng ia hosth and injurious character.
10 prevent N Papacy from trying an
experiment irthe case Of the application
of this dcplorble measure. The obligation
nat upon tho egulars to submit to the ordi-
nary cannot mbarass tho Pope: that is .
ouestion Of itsrnal jurisdiction and Of Q
dome.,o natre. The .discussion' is not
one between te Government, the Bishops
and the congregations; It will be carried on
between Rom<the episcopacy and tho reli-
sious orders. II then the congregations
receive tho t,vernment's authorization,
after ali had axed for it. the Holy See would
easily presers its doctrine, its canonical
legislation am the order OF battle.
Tho Government viii find itself face to
face with thi dilemma-either to refuse
suthorizationDr to grant II literally. II
Il refuses. It sill take upon itself the re-
sponsibihty fr the conflict In the eyes OF
history. In hat case the republic will
undertake. toustify before the country its
attitude Of compromise, and the effect
would be see in the elections. II. on the
other hand. grants 1t, the sting Of the
Dreyfus afTai win disappear little by little
without prov]xing break nor any material
or general Reorganization in the workings
Of the Churh's activity. Both contln-
gencies have,een foreseen by the Holy See.
For the momnt. in spite OF the wilfulness
Of some congregations In refusing to ask
for the State authorization, the Pope hopes
To maintain ne statu quo and to develop
his French pocy.
On the evtof the legislative elections
the conflict taes on a serious aspect. The
lodges and III Socialists, not to mention
the Jews. wouh naturally be glad to have
the election trn on the clerical" issue.
Several myste,ous chiefs have already pre-
pared the prsent questions for such a
campaign. lie -ralliemcnt.' notwith-
standing its moral effect, has neither
brought concite situations to tho point Of
ripeness. nor IL 1t elevated the new atmos-
phere sufflciatly. To engage battle on
the clerical sue would insure victory to
he sectaries The lower middle class
the workmenthe peasants. are not inter-
ested in the Congregations; the nobility, and
the rich boufeois do not control the
majority; not even the intellectual and
unversalist Der class could take up
the fight on tht ground, although 1t has
been able to omprehs d the inevitable
connection betwsn religious questions and
national INTEREST,"
According to ts Holy Sees ideas the
coming election sIl be fought on Socialist
and Nationalist isies. The Dreyfus affair
has ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS about the par
allel advance OF Sdalists. Jews. Calvinists
Protestants and feemasons. an alliance
that will have an tsentially socialist char
acter The greatnajority to-day Is losing
interest perceptibiin questions Of purely
political order. tepticism about mems
opinions, the scahals In Parliament. have
turned minds ava from the -jobs.' What
exctes people noGs the economic interests
Of the country.
rOT tflls Tt0SOf tho oyhN"
cate. formed by he amalgamation Of So
Freemasos and Jews, presented
tho bill for wokingnen's pensions on
the eve Of the ebctibn, which in its turn,
as will soon be kown. will be the prologue
to carrying inteeifect the programme Of
Saint Simon, mius the phalanstcry. The
= Higher Finans" will take in the profits
Of the operatjn; socialism will provide
the troops: th'lotlges will train the stan
Of plunder. all the Government will act
"a coach;nan.
That is whyhc so o-called liberal policy
bringing tog,hcr all the anti-ministerial
groups. may reate bond and ground
for election. shile the campaign against
the Associates law does not offer sufficient
guarantees. rhe 40 Deputies who voted
against that )reyfusard law in the Palais
Bourbon willieither represent the country
nor win a msority unless they offer plat
form that issubstantially social. To 60
into tho fghtn tho name Of the law alone
is To court abject defeat. Unless the
he Catholics, the liberals
the moderate. the progressives and the
tand on platform promising
broad social sforms, they will obtain the
votes only ofthe smaller minority
They will hive hundred votes against
a thousand. That Is the reason why the
Holy See is 'ot rushing into conflicts or
ruptures. Wat II is thinking about is
less the futre fate Of the law than the