Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-16

enthusiastic. Davis left no statement
| of his ouinion on the subject. Sndell
! did NOT think it worth while publish
| ing" Benjamin believed that the
Pope;s address of Davis as president
of the Confederate States" which was
held by Mann to imply recognition, was
merely q formula of courtesy to MS
correspondent and not a political &C
acknowledgement of the fact.
Perhaps to offset the services aoroao
of Archbishop Hughes in behalf OF the
IJnion. the Confederate States in 1854
appointed Bishop Lynch of Charleston
commissioner to the Holy See. Com.
binine the advantages of ecclesiastical
and political position, his presence al
Rome was believed to offer unusual OPP
portunities, not only for winning recog-
milton for his government but also for
molding foreign opinion through con-
tact with the representatives OF the
Catholic powers of Europe. But Lynch
was received at the vatican as An anu
nelli assured King. only in his esps-
copal character, and never as an &C
credited agent OF Davis or the Con-
federacy.
U. S. Mission Withdrawn in 1867.
After Lincoln's assassination John H.
Surratt, who had bAn accused OF COM
plicity in the crime, made his escape by
way of Canada and England to Rome,
where he enlisted in the Papal zouayes
under the name of Watson. His lden-
tity was in time discovered and re-
ported to the American Minister. Al
though there was no extradition treaty
between the two governments, the papai
authorities acceded to the wishes OF
kim and confined Surratt until DER.
mite instructions should be received
from Washington. The prisoner later
made his escape, narrowly missed death
by leaping from a high precipice was
finally captured at Alexandria, Egypt,
and returned to the United States for
trial.
In 1857 the mission at Rome came to
an official end. Congress refused 10
continue the appropriation for it, pre-
sumably under the erroneous BELIEF tnat
the American Church had been ordered
outside the walls of Rome, but probably,
as King intimated in his denials or the
above charge, because the way was be-
ing cleared for early recognition OF the
kingdom of italy.
Taft Made Commissioner.
With the loss of the temporal power
of the Holy See, the usual reasons for
diplomatic representation between gov
ernments no longer existed. Thence-
AOit1I IllC HtdbbCkS NAtAOAA, NtAASSeAJ "a
directly, called for communication with
the Vatican were solely ecclesiastical In
character and affected the holy father
merely as the head of the Catholic
Church. In such cases the negotia-
lions were conducted by special agents
or commissioners.
The outstanding example of these re-
lations is the settlement of the Philip
pine land question. After the treaty
with Spain, which brought these islands
under the ownership of the United
States, one of the most difficult prob
lens in their reorganization concerned
the title Of the 100000 acres Of land
claimed by the friars. The unpopular
ity Of the latter and the political and
economic conditions underlying the sit
uation led the Philippine Commission
to propose the purchase Of these lands.
Negotiations with the friars proving
unsatisfactory. direct appeal was made
to the Vatican. In 1908 Gov. Gen. Taft
visited Rome, where an agreement was
reached which provided for the trans
fer of these lands to the commission In
consideration of the payment of q sum
somewhat IN excess Of $1,000, 900.