The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-19

wm.s E. Curtis washington Special to
 Chicago Record Herald
 waehington, Dec. 16.--For a' thous- andsyears the church of Rome and the wovernment oG France have been closely united. During the French ravolutton of 1Tsq there was q temporary dtsso- lution of those relations and the gov. ernment conflscated all propertg, feas and personal, which was vested n itne religious establishments: After tne restoration Napoleon made peace Wltn fhe Vatican in order to secure the sup port of the Catholic population ana eu- tered into what is known As q coneor- dat-a term commonly used to desig- nate treaties with the holy see. Under fhis axHeement the church property or all Kinds automatically went back into the possession of the ecciesiasticais Y authorities. Although there fs dispute as to whether It was legally festorea-
 The Rovernment of France agreed 70 nav inc salaries of all the parlsh priests. bishops, arehbtshops and Freach . cardinals. provided it was allowed 70 nominate the bishops FT8m tHat pHtS i,s France has become vacant the govern ment has submitted a list o1 caldl- dates from whom the pope has made wear has been Appropriated from tue public treasury to pay the salaries Q the eIerEy in active service A lew years ago. shortly after the election oi tps r4pe any of the n0minees of the Frsnch kovernfnent to several vacant olsnop, ricS because of their alleged liberal views and friend,y relations With the republican party. The rejection Of stne eoverDmeut candidates for the 1rst time in history was attritubed to Mesry' s ees esspsniard. M who IS opposed te the Unit ed States for the same reason that hs is to Franca--hecause they are repulE lies. If he could have his way he w9uio return to the Customs and conditions of the fifteenth century. % % G
 Pope Leo XIII, was one of the ahiest statesmen and dlplomatists of his time. Cardinal. Ratnpolla, his secretary Of state. has the reputation of being the sblest statesman and d!plomatist In the Catholic church today.
 Plus X. the present pope, IS neithher hsI no taste for politics. RealiEing his. tack of knowledge and experience ard the unpopularitN Of his own demacratie ideas, he has left the foreign relations and political affairs Of the holy see entirely to his secretary of state and other advisers who have entirely re- Eised the policy of the previous pontth-
 G Leo XIII. and Cardinal Rampolla cultivated intimate relations with the French republic. much to the sor' row of the old monarchial party ID France. They had. tbe foresight to real. ize that tie republic ts permanent aud that the monarchy can never be re- stored. Hence they made friends with inc republican leaders and won them over to the support of the church, be- cause France IS the tms most inpeEtiant p.sIiaae iastieal point of view and has always been the chief source of revenue of tho holy see. But as soon as the present secretary of state assumed control or hffafrs at the Vatican, the Old policy was reversed and the trouble coinmenc' ed. first because the pope, under the advice of his secretary of state. would not appoint the candidates for bishops nominated by the French government, and second. over visit of President 0uhet to the King of Italy.