The sun., 1902-04-27
THE CATHOLICS OF GERMANY.
poSJTJ0N ATTAINED ny CENTRE
plBTY UNDER HERR LIEBER.
lie Led His Adherents to Put kaisers
policy Above Pope Leo's Directions
A brilliant orator Rather Than 4
statesman suspected Pepe's Favor 10
y,.nce and me socialist Movement.

a.
usrr windthorst, with his persevering
,ssacity, had cleared the way for the burial
~ the Kulturksmpf and had made the
Centre the axis Of the Reichstas. His
.econd successor, with his eloquence and
impetuous strategy. placed at the service
n the Weltpolitik the power Of his party,
which had become the preponderating
group in the Ministerial majority, the de-
eiding party. His ideal, his warcry, his
constant preaching, was the maintenance
Of that preponderance. II the Centre
Mlked at a plan the maintenance OF the
preponderance forced upon 1t the sacrifice
Of reason II the democratic groups
complained against conservative i'm
perialism,' the preponderance demanded
their submission to the policy Of quieta
non nOreri. Tactics took the place Of
thoughts and platforms.
SO Herr Lieber has played a historic part.
The influence Of Catholicism has increased
through IT, The inherent force Of things
gave Incompatible levers to the late states
man Neither the devotion nor the in
telligence Of the leaders has brought about
the present regeneration; II 10 the religious
and social work Of half century that has
done t.. Political preponderanoe is never
anything else but the historic garb for
popular, moral preponderance. The honor
for the present glory belongs TO the In
novators Of ls4s the date Of the first Cath
olc Congress: Mgr. Ketteler, Canon Maui
fang, Gesellenvater Kolping Herr Buss.
Herr Mallinckrodt, Peter and August Reich
ensperger, Jorg, Alban Stoltz. Lowen-
stein. Baron Won Loe, opened up the broad
deep furrow at the end Of which the golden
crop rises. The popular activity OF half
century the religious and social regenera-
ton have provided in turn the blocks for
the splendid edifice We have to-day.
faithful people, democratic policy,
crown OF good works; these are the be-
ginnngs. The one proceeds from the
others Politics is but a consequence and
a goal; In 1t. in all countries, are lodged
the supremacy and the opportunity OF
the social movement. Wherever, through
ancient blunders, we have lost parlia-
mentary and electoral battles, popular
action by creating new forces and better
atmosphere can alone restore to Cathol-
cicism its rank and It's sway. It is hard
and long. but no political science, no COM
bination Of genius can take the place Of
this indispensable labor.
The new tack Of the Kaiser favored
Herr Leber's leadership. The Church
being invincible, 1t became necessary to
turn the obstacle into q lever. Eager
for ingenious schemes, dreaming of q
fitting revival Of the Empire Of the West,
subordinating all interests to the gradual
turning into a reality Of the Weltpolitik,
Wilhelm H. saw that the Centre was
parliamentary force, that the hierarchy
was an administrative and moral force,
that the Papacy was universal diplo-
matte force. To combine these forces
for the success Of his vast hopes, that is
the Hohenzollern secret. Who knows but
what the policy OF keeping in contact with
Ca,hoNcism may some day perhaps break
down m, BARRIERS on the B0hmerwald
frontier to make way for conquering Pan
Germenism.
Herr Iieber was right thousand times
in acQuiescing with the Kaiser's wishes
and hopes Catholicism Is a school OF
respect II national cooperation. Power
il drawn to power But. an orator more
than tactician, confident rather than
sagaciou-. Herr Leber yielded much and
received almost nothing in return. The
= '.- zoe Great skill In skimming on the
cream and is a materialistic business man:
he has harnessed the Centres horses to
his chariot measuring out their oats to
them with rare parsimony. How much
more knowledge and experience there was
hack of the Pope's reserve!
The companionship entailed sacrifices
hy demanding obligatory serfdom When
he recovered from his impetuous Lohen-
gin fever wilhelm II demanded OF the
pastors and of HE Government a social
reaction Through Cardinal Kopp lie tried
% force this restriction upon the Pope
In 1895 occurred the conspiracy against
the encyclical Rerum Nopdrum. Wilhelm
II Francis Joseph the King of the Bel
sians and the Austro-(iernan aristocracy
were leagued against popular Socialist
s~tivity. that is TO say, at bottom against
the CARVING into effect Of the encyclical
Rrsm Nprdrum. IN a celebrated audience,
Cardinal kopp. the HohenkOllern oonhd-
snt. explained TO the Pope how al-powsful
vac the status quo
Cardinal Schnenborn, by means ~ a
memorandum drawn up by Father Weiss,
supported tho German demand BsisiAh
diplomats and even soms Democrats.
mote ambitious than Socialist and Jealous
lssI~- ~ the brilliant Log" s'ho0l, sddet
ihsT weight a. the general impsrs
10 kllI remainsi uhshAhsn II 10 not
a. ssihsh wishes that . moral power sac
nho.s a osntury's charter Herr I1el'sE
SO n1t sa skilfIl and had no, s,lch per
sisisro- Hs yisld.d a. innusnos Hls
nhahllny r.aoh"d the paint that Ia isss
e. no bsft muLd CuhEfsss the i'"in"ofats
ru...fs .f.tsfs 90 make o. I'litl0al sfssasl'ss
AaHf especially ths yo,anF msh, sfutnhlsd
!. H|.l .aHf tufafsaH lisff lsl 81 IHkH ~