The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-05
Plus X.

Leo Xii. among all OF the CdnQl-
dates Cardinals Rampolla, Oreglia,
Gotti and Serafno Vanutelli We're re-
garded as the favorites, from among
whom the next supreme pontiff would
be chosen. At one time, indeed, it was
the belief that the contest had about
narrowed down to the three first men
toned, with the struggle really be-
tween Rampolla and Oreglia, making
Gotti a compromise candidate with an
excellent chance of winning. Very lit
tie attention, outside of the Sacred
College at least, was paid to the pos
sible candidacy of Cardinal Sarto so
that the advance biographies of the
cardinals who might become Pope de-
voted but a few lines to him. 1t was
known that he was the favorite of
what is known as the Italian party.
but it seems that nobody imagined
that he would be a formidable, not to
say successful. candidate.
The several ballots taken show that
Cardinal Sarto was not the first and
immediate choice of the conclave, but
that he was a compromise candidate
a dark horse" to use the expression
common in political elections in the
United States. The three or four car
dinals who entered the conclave with
the greatest number of votes found
that neither could be elected, hence
threw their strength to an outsider
acceptable to all of them.
Cardinal Sarto. or Plus X as he will
henceforth be known officially, is 6S
years of age, hence he can hardly hope
10 occupy the chair of Peter as long
as did his predecessor, Leo, or Plus
TX. both Of whom reached the years
of Peter" having reigned for a quar-
ter of a century: yet it is probable
that he will live to govern the church
for many years. He is a robust, hand
some man, of good statue and consid-
cradle avoirdupois-the opposite, in
deed, of the fragile and emaciated
Leo.
The accession of Plus x to the
throne of the church awakens in
terest in the question of his probable
policy. He was the close friend of
Leo, who valued him highly, hence it
is to be expected that along certain
lines the policies of Leo will be main
tanned; but it is altogether likely that
there viii be such deviations on other
lines as will mark the administration
of the new Pope as distinctly charac-
. teristic. One of the most striking pos
sibilities of the policy of Plus X is
a rapprochement of the Vatican and
the Quirinal, a composing of the diff
ferences between church and state in
Italy, so that the fiction of the Pope's
being a prisoner within the Vatican
will no longer exist. This expecta-
ton is based on the fact that some
eight or ten years ago, Sarto, being
Patriarch Of Venice, paid a state visit
to King Humbert, who met the EN-
peror of Germany in that city. A hint
had been sent to Cardinal Sarto from
the Vatican that his proposed action
in meeting the King might not be wise
and that it might be well for him to
absent himself from Venice at the time
of the Kings visit; at the same time
it was left to Sarto's own best judg-
ment what he should do. He carried
out his original attention, called on
the King in state, and they became
good friends. The incident has not
been forgotten at the Quirinal, hence
the way for a better understanding
between the church and the state is
regarded as practically open. AS a
cardinal, Sarto disliked politics and
kept himself aloof from it. In Venice,
where he has lived for some ten years.
he is extremely popular with both
clericals and people.
The new Pope is spoken Of as a
prudent, balanced, correct MANI
positive but not aggressive, conserva-
tive but not in the least weak; a safe
man, in whom utmost confidence is
reposed by those who know him; a
man loved by his friends and respect
ed by those who fail to agree with
him. In short, he is a man who, called
to the head of the greatest religious
organization in the world, can be de-
pended on to add to the lustre OF the
exalted office which he holds.