The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-06
BRAND DESIRES
RELIGIOUS PEACE
Vatican May Be Induced to
Modify Attitude
HOPE FOR SETTLEMENT
Under Premier Brands Admfnistra-
tion Concessions Have Been offered
to the Catholic Church mt
Various Times


Vatican reports from Rome deny that
any arrangement between the govern
ment of France and the Catholic church
ever will be possible without direct
negotiations with the Pope, there are
the best of reasons here for believing
| that a considerable section of the
French episcopacy continues In Its en-
deavors to induce the Vatican to modi-
fy its hitherto intransigeant attitude,
it is stated.
M. BRAND author of the separation
law, and the premier of France. always
has been anxious to restore religious
peace in the country, 1t is stated. prac-
| tically imposing the condition of state
freedom from the church as fat ac-
compli. Under his inspiration conces-
sions repeatedly have been offered
which would give the church a legal
status Although a minority of the
episcopacy secretly sympathized with
him and was ready to second his efforts
the Vatican invariably declined to give
its approval.
| Beginning with the refusal to form
associations cultuelles, which would
have enabled the church to retain all of
it's property. every substantial effort
at Cancellation has been repulsed. New
ertheless 1t is certain that the govern
ment still hopes for a settlement and
| indirectly advised the French bishops
It is willing to treat with them but not
with the Vatican.
The government let it be understood
that the bish ops can submit the terms
of their arrangements to Rome for ap-
| prevail, only insisting that the agree
ment must be between the government
and the French bishops, and not be-
tween the government and the Pope or
the Vatican. Cardinal Couille's recent
visit to Rome, despite denials, is be-
lieved to be connected with these So
called negotiations. it is stated, but all
the reports indicate that the Vatican
while somewhat less obdurate and anx-
ious to reach a. settlement which will
ameliorate the deplorable situation in
Frence refuses absolutely to yield on TIE
main point of direct negotiations.
In France, where electoral reform is
now the issue of the hour, the recent
elections in Belgium were watched with
special interest, because there repre-
sentation proportionelle," or "R. p" as
1t is Familiarity called here, Is in full
operation. R P. is an deliberately work
ed out system to give all political par
ties in a community representation ac-
cording OF the number of votes poIled;
in other words. the abandonment of the
| absolute domination of majority rule
now in vogue in France and most other
continental countries.
In France, especially, the existing sys-
tenn of electing members to the chamber
of deputies. in whose hands the political
power of the state is concentrated, is
severely criticised, not only on the ground
| that the small majority In small, local
districts make local considerations out
weigh national interests. but on the
broader ground that the minorties. often
only a few votes behind the majorities,
have no representation at all, and no
means of having their voices heard in the
councils of the nation.
| The remedy proposed is for larger dis
tricts, electing from eight to is deputies
upon a general platform, with proper
| tional representation for the minorities
when they are of sufficient size to cast
| votes of respectable dimensions.
| The electoral experts sent to Belgium
| generally commend the situation there
| but take violent exception to the plural
voting enjoyed by larger taxpayers. and
persons with advanced educational at
| tainments. A sample of how the system
works in Belgium, disregarding the ques-
| ton of plural voting, can be gathered
| from the results at Antwerp, where 10
| seats were to be filled. The Catholic
ticket polled s2,s7s votes, the liberal 6, 81
and the socialist 16,722. Under the system
| of majority rule, the Catholics would have
| captured the entire 10 seats. Under the
| r. P. system each of the total votes re-
| ceived by ticket was divided by l. 2, 8,
l. up to 49, and the quotients of these
divisions became, In the order of. nu-
| merical precedence, the order of dividing
the seats between the parties.
! In this particular case 1t resulted in CIV
| ing the first seat to the first Catholic. the
second to a liberal, the third to Catholic,
fourth liberal, fifth Catholic, sixth liberal,
seventh Catholic. eighth liberal. ninth So
cialist. tenth Catholic, eleventh Catholic,
twelfth liberal and thirteenth Catholic.
In other words. the Catholics upon their
total vote secured seven seats, the lib
erals five and the socialists one, which
works out almost automatically In pro-
| portion to the votes cast.
1t is interesting to note that in France,
where majority rules In political and bust
ness affairs, as. for instance, In corpora
tions the law takes pains to prevent an
individual or two from controlling.