Bisbee daily review., 1910-08-27
MERRY DEL VAL IS BLAMED IN SPANISH CASE
Brilliant Churchman and Papal Secretary of State Charged
 With Trying to Overthrow
 Government of that Country

ROME. Aug. 26.-The rupture be- tween the Vatican and the Spanish government has served to bring Car dinal Merry acl Val the Papal sec retary of state once more into the limelight. Americans will recall the fact that 1t was Merry del Val who conducted the negotiations for Col onel Rooseyelts proposed audience with the Pope, and who was after ward blamed. by reason of his Span. ish blood for the vatican's faux pas. And now it is the same Merry dei Val who is charged vita maneuverins to overthrow the existing government in Spain because of the latter's nos unty to the church Of Rome.
 Ever since he became papal seere- tary of state seven years ago the carJinars course has been tempest uous. over and over again it has been reported that he was about to resign. and once, indeed his resig- nation was at least offered. His pos ition is naturally a very difficult and labor.ous one. It demands the great est amount ol tact common sense and executive ability. The secretary of state has nothing waateyer to do with spiritual matters but stands between i the Pope ani the rest Of the world to see that his will is carried out. and all the departments and subord- mate organizations of which the Church is composed are directly re- sponsible tohim.
 Merry del Val is the son of a Span iard. who for many years filled the i post Of Spanish amgassador to the Vatican. He was born in England and educated there which has led many to suppose that his mother was
 an English woman and that he is : partly English in his sympathies. This is a mistake. as both his parents were ! Spanish, and he was educated in Eng land because his father was at that time an iron merchant in that coun try.
 Both the cardinal and his father played an important part in the late war between Spain and the United
 States. As is well known the sym
 pathies at the Vatican were entirell
 proSpanish at the outset of the war
 which was only natural in view o
 the close relations then existing be
 tween Spain and the Vatican. Mer
 ry del Val and his father the Span , tish ambassador, made every effort t'
 have the influence of the Vatican ex
 ercised in fagor of Spain. But al the war proceeded it was realized il
 Rome that the American Catholics
 would resent any interference s
 strongly as too make it dangerous t
 the welfare of the Catholic church il , lnt 1AlttQ ctdLt5 anu l-lc NdAlCel . remained neutral outwardly, at least !. Several years later Merry del Va
 was selected to succeed Cardina
 Martineli as Papal delegate to tn United States. but the appointmen was never made probably because c
 an intimation from Washington tha
 it would not be acceptable.
 In 1896 the present secretary O state was sent to Canada as a spe' ial iegste to settle a dispute owe
 what was known as the Manitob school question. He remained fo six or seven months. visited the prir cipal cities of Canada and the Unite !; States and so conducted his invest
 gations that both the Manitoba goN . ernment modified its action, and th l Catholics became reconciled to th new regime and ceased to fear for tn aggressions against their religion. Tn Pope's encyclical letter sent afte
 Merry del Val had returned to Rom
 and reported to him. closed the COT
 troversy evidencing a signal trump