The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-26
FRANCE EAGER TO
KNOW POPE'S NAME.
Decision of the COnclaye at the
Vatican Will BE of Vital In
portance to Republic.
BALANCE TO BE MAINTAINED.
If New Pontiff Shows an Inclina-
ton to Favor Germany, Grave
Political Results Will Fol
low Conference at
London.
ny I CORNEIY

I
HRAtp q AND ThE 81 d ah HsM nIh
| Paris. July 25.-(copyright, 19oS)-France
/ all this week has been absorbed by foreign
news. and absorbed to such an extent that
she did not even ask any longer whether
NJ. Combes was continuing or had stopped
the dissolving of the congregations.
/ There was, first of all. the death of the
Pope. Leo NH has been n friend of our
country, 50 that the feeling is easy TO
understand. France is the principal Cath
lie Power. and it is in her that the
papacy has sought support for centuries.
But the Pope has been not only a friend
of France; he has also been a friend of
the Republic.
First OF all, he advised Catholics to rally
to the republican form of government. He
was not followed. There he failed. Neither
the faithful nor even the Bishops obeyed
him. and this obedience had for its ex-
cuse, first, the convenience which II afforded
the opponents of the Republic to combat
II on the religious field, where they could
perpetuate the Observation-Disclosures which are
necessary to them: and second. the Govern
ment did not respond to the benevolent in
clinations of the Pope because the Republic
has had to suffer too much from clerical
ism to forgive 1t. 1t Is thankess task.
INTENSE INTEREST IN CoNCLAVE.
Nevertheless all the French liberals con-
sdered Leo Mi their ally. They de-
plore his death, at which the reactionaries
scarcely conceal their Joy.
The vital question presented is to know
whether the conclave which is about to
meet will choose polite Pope like Leo
XIII or a militant Pope like Plus IN. If
it chooses polite Pope subsidiary ques-
, I'D No., % a,,ltr Gttf
whether the Pope will know how to keep
an even balance between Germany and
France. In case the rev Pope knows how
to keep this even balance. the pontificate
of Leo Mi will be continued and 1t Will
not have been without glory and without
profit for the church.
But, in case the new Pope should be sus-
pected OF preference fo- Germany, or. to
put Il in more general way, in case he
should be a combative person, as over
excited Catholics desire, all sorts of crises
are to be feared. the least of which will
not be the separation of church and state
in France.
1 do not pretend to put myself in the
place of the Hol.- Ghost, nevertheless it
seems TO me that, if the conclave were
wise. 1t would name Cardinal Rampolla,
who has been the instrument and perhaps
also the inspiration, of all the political con-
duct of Leo NIL
CONFERENCES AT LONDON.
Rome has not alone fixed our attention
this week. London has absorbed a good
share. In that city there have arrived, in
vited by the Commercial Committee of the
English Parliament, the members of the
French Parliament. who form part of the
group in favor of International arbitration,
presided over BY NJ. d'Estournelles dc
Constant. They have been received with the
utmost cordially. and all the families of
the English members of Parliament strove
to initiate the magnificence the roya! fam
lily showed in its welcome Of NJ. Loubet.
Already political considerations of the
highest Importance have been the subject
of an exchange of views and the most cor
dial speeches hare been uttered on both
sides. French members of Parliament have
much to gain by meeting Anglo-SaXon
members of Parliament They may borrow
from them their expeditions, simple and
practical WAYS of discussing the interests
of the country.
It seems to me that. in truth, this draw
ing together of French members of Parlia-
ment and English members of Parliament
can only be received with approval, for, on
the whole, it Is the duty of the two great
European nations to raise themselves In
the scale Of humanity by establishing with
one another this supreme conception of
peace which the great Republic of the
United States already possesses.
Americans can only be fattered TO see
that we wish TO resemble them. and to Gre
ate United States of Europe. That crea-
ton will be the work of the Twentieth
Century.