The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-06
The Coming Conclave.

The Coming Conclave.
It would appear from the situation In
the vatican. at this writing, that the. Pc
Rod Of conflicting reports as to the physi-
cal condition Of the supreme pontif is
past and that it may not be long before
the Cardinal Camerlengo oreglia will en-
ter the death chamber, and, with the
little silver hammer, verify the transla-
ton of the pontiff by striking his head
three times with it, and then making the
formal announcement to the public and
the ambassadors Of the powers who hold
diplomatic relations with the vatican that
the pontihcal throne is vacant and con-
clave Is in order. "
OreglIa, as Camerlengo, will take charge
Of the vatican until the cardinals have in
conclave elected a successor to Leo XIII,
and the announcement is made, in the
Peters, of the name Of the favored cam
didate by the senior deacon Of the Sacred
college. There have been occasions when
the cardinals were five months In con-
clave before they reached a decisive vote,
Leo XIII was elected on the third scru-
tiny or ballot and thru the votes Of the
foreign cardinals reinforcing the Italians
who favored him. His predecessor, Plus
K.,was elected as the successor of Gregory
XVI. within two days. AS Cardinal
Joachim Pecci, Leo was not persona
grata with Plus TX, but few months
before Plus death Pecci was appointed to
the high office of Camerlengo and his
election to the pontificate was due to his
exalted virtues and executive ability,
which outweighed objections to him on
the score of liberal tendencies, as against
the pronounced medievalism of Plus,
who, from rather emphatic liberal views
at the beginning Of his reign, which slim
ulated the revolutionary spirit In, the
states Of the chuEeh, an incident of which
was his fight to Gaeta. lapsed into q BIT
ter denunciator OF modern progress. s
When Leo XIII. was elected, there was
noticeable absence Of interference with
the election by the Representatives Of the
foreign powers; who usually spend much
! time before and during the conclaVe in
triguing and in various ways seeking to
influence; the choice Of the cardinals. The
Roman Catholic powers formerly assumed
| that they had the right to veto In papal
elections. but the only power which has
| such right Of veto is Portugal, and 1t
| was granted by a special papal bill, and
powers have often signifed that the cleo.
! ton oflsuch or such cardinal would be OBJ
jectionable to them, but a veto on a con.
summated election has never been exer.
cised. Leo XIII. has. held strenuously
to the doctrine Of non-interference by the
1 secular powers In the conclave and has
labored to make conclaves immune from
tanpering and pressure from without
When he entered upon his reign. he pro
posed to the cardinals that they should
become consultative body, as was inten
ded, but he offended them as they hat
fallen in with the reactionary views o
Plus TX, and his liberal tendencies II
other ways were checked by opposition o
the cardinals. Nevertheless Leo has eff
fected many needed administrative re
forms. ~
It is not to be expected that the com
ing conclave will elect pope who will
hold any other relation with the italian
government than that maintained by Piu
TX. and Leo XIII, who regard the reign
ing house of oy-Carignan as having
deprived the pontin of what he consid
ers is held by the most sacred and indie
feasible Of tenures, altho the italian ma
ton demanded the absorption Of tn
archy, in order to make Rome the CAPT
tai Of United Italy: The papacy is com
mitted irrevocably to the mo surrender
, doctrine as to the retention Of the tenn
poral power, altho it Is gone apparently
forever, and no compromise seems pos
sible. The great Italian statesman. Min
ghetti, declared that the hostility to tn
, church and the present irreligion In 1tal
, is due to the opposition Of the church to tn
, political unification which is more dear
: the Italian nation than anything else, an
that opposition Of the church ceasing, Ital
, would become reconciled to the church
There is no doubt OF the truth Of thi
statement. Had Leo, with his deep per
ception Of the need for the church to kee
) abreast the times, yielded In this respec
to the time-spirit he would have don
!. a service for his church which would hay
! made him one Of the most distinguish
) in pontifical line. There is no dout
/ / that Leo has more than once sacrificed hi
: own convictions to the interfering an
! reactionary policies Of others. His actio
5 as to Father Curci's New Italy and tn
t IIntransigents" is an example of th
: weakness.
4 The bureau Of statistics Of the new de
2 partment Of commerce estimates that til
4 exports from the United States to Canad
for the past fiscal year will foot up 3125
e o0o 900, as compared with SIP, 100000 Ia.
h year. Last years growth in this trad
r was greater than in any other precedin
d year, and greater than that OF the e.
9 ports to any other country except Gel
n many. which was $21. 900, 900. The tot
: imports from Canada for 1903 were abo,