New-York tribune., 1906-12-16
PAPER WAR TN FRANCE
PLIGHT OF THE PRIESTS
Hopes That Vatican WM Recede-
The UOntagnini Letters.
Especial by French Gable 70 The Trf5une.I
copyright; 1906 by The Tribune Association

Especial by French cable 70 IRE TrfouneI
rcopyrish,. 1906. by The Tribune As~ociation-I
Paris Dec 15-Tre feeling not only in Parts
but throughout the country is that. even at the
eleventh hour. IL the Vatican could md wav
to sanction compIiances with the law such
measure would meet the wishes and prayers
Of the great masses of French Catholics Trs
seventy-eight thousand priests. a large p-opor-
ton of whom patriotic. lava abiding men
who have been doing good honest hard work IN .
their parishes in town country. are placed IT.
an almost desperate position. because. unots-
penalty of forfeiting their citizenship, they will
soon be compelled 70 choose between alleganrs
to the French Republic and obedience TO the Vat
lean. Their wofu1 plight eIicits genuine sym
pathy not only from Catholics but from the
community at large even including the most
radical supporters of the Separation law. NJ
CIemenceau. who in company with NJ Brfand
Minister Of Public Worship. present last
night at the opening Of the Theatre Rejans.
accorded during entr'acte OF the perform
ance brief conversation to your correspond
ent In which the Prime Minister said: IT have
no sympathy with those who would resort 10
violence or arbitrary measures All the govern
rnent is striving to accomplish ts to secure free
exercise of worship and at the same time TO
compel all Frenchmen. no matter what their
religious faith. to obey and respect the para
mount laws Of Franco and to recognize within
the limit OF the French frontiers the sole SUI
premacy Of national authority
The war between the Vatican and the French
Republic is being waGed with far less antnlosity
than was expected by the government or
hoped for by the reactionary agitators. With
the exception OF a few rural districts In Brit
tany and Dauphtne there Is prospect OF real
fighting or of bloodshed. In Paris the great
masses OF the people show indifference to ms
whole business. Meanwhile. reams OF white
paper are daily covered with endless process
verbaux.'- formal reports and protestations.
Owing to the prescriptions OF the venerabis
Cardinal Richard. Archbishop OF Paris. all ru-
nerals must be OF the sixth cIass-that Is such
as are accorded to persons OF scant means. ana
the elaborate black and silver trappngs. plurnes
and hanginss that usually decorate the Paris
churches at funeral ceremonies are now con-
spcuous by their absence. OF the seveuty-two
Roman Catholic churches IN Paris only twelvs
have so far made the declarations required by
the law of 1881 regulating public meetings.
Interest to-day centres in the revelations dis
covered in the papers and correspondence seizei
on Wednesday by the government at the resi-
dence of Monsignor 3Iontagnini. secretary Of tho
late Nuncio. Some of these papers show that the
great majority of the French clergy had already
decided 70 submit the declaration require
nents Of the law OF 1881. and that 1t solely
in obedience to express orders from the Vatican
that they finally changed their minds and deter
mined to es. the French law. Other papers
in the Montagnini correspondence prove that
the agent Of the Vatican had addressed urgent
appeals to the bishops of Germany. Great Brit
| ain Belgium, Spain Holland and Portugal to
petition Cardinal Richard and the French clergy.
| approving and encouraging them IN their resist
! ance to the French government Three docu-
ments OF great historic value have been discov-
| cred among the Montagnini papers, establishing
| for the first time the fact that In Bsma-cks
| Kulturkampf in 1873 the French bishops pro-
posed to sign collective letter encouraging the
German bishops in their resistance to the Ger
man government AS the German Ans
bassador In Paris became aware of this he cons
municated the fact to Bismarck. and in obedience
to orders from the German Chancellor the
bassador forthwith called upon the French Min-
lister of Foreign Affairs and categorically in
formed him that Germany would regard such Q
step on the part of the French bishops as q
casus belli. The result was the French govern-
ment forbade the French bishops TO carry QUE
their intention. Other letters among thoss
seized st the house OF Monsiznor Montagnnf
furnish evidence that direct action was taken By
the Vatican during the French legislative elec-
tions. NJ C!emenceau has decided that all the
documents seized at Monsignor Montagninrs res
idence bearing dates anterior to the rupture with
the Vatican shall Sc returned intact to ths
Holy See c. T. b