Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10

fully trained for such service, presented
his papers to the Pope in January.
1S49, and he remained Minister resi-
dent of the United States until 1858.
Mr.. Cass was succeeded by John p.
Stockton of New Jersey, who remained
about a year and half and departed
| for home because of business troubles.
Alexander w. Randall of Wisconsin
was the next United States Minister
to the Holy See, and he served until
August, 1852, when affairs relating to
the War between the States made his
presence necessary at home. President
Lincolns Secretary of State, Mr..
Seward. appointed a new Minister at
once, Richard M Blatchford of New
York, who arrived in Rome August g,
1862, but who resigned from the service
and sailed for home the following Octo-
Der and entered the military service,
A year later, October, 1863. Rufus
King Of Wisconsin, grandson OF the
political leader and signer OF the Con-
Stitution from Massachusetts, and many
years Senator from New York, was ap-
pointed Minister to the Papal States
and remained at that post for almost
six years. He was an accomplished
diplomat, outstanding in his day, and
his letters are among the most inter-
esting sent to the State Department.
Mr. King was the last Minister to the
Vatican and departed less than a year
before the fall of the Porta Pia and the
triumphant entry of Garibaldi's troops.
The failure of the Holy See to send
an envoy to Washington seems to have
been founded on the absence OF any
concordat between the Republican Gov
eminent and Rome defining the rights
nf I1Nf1 GfIncfin1c
and also that the United States was re-
garded as q Protestant country with
slight Catholic background and limited
Catholic influence. But Plus TX was
considering the problem of establish
ing diplomatic relations when the storm
broke which swept away his temporal
power. At the present time, Catholics
are approaching one-sixth of the popu-
lation of the United States and the
hierarchy is the most numerous in the
world, containing in continental United
States ID archbishops and more than
100 bishops and this number is en-
| HANGED by one archbishop in the
Philippines and six bishops, with an
other bishop in Porto Rico and an
apostolic visitor in Alaska. Property
rights vested in the heads of ecclesi-
| astical provinces and of religious or
| ders represent an enormous value and
so is property in alien countries under
direction of the missionary bodies of
the Catholic Church.
At all the capitals where representa-
tives of the Vatican now are in resi-
dence, they are clerics with the rank of
monsignor, called nuncios, and they
invariably are given the rank of dean
of the corps. But in re-establishing its
temporal power the Holy See, say ex-
perienced scholars. will revert to the
former policy and have laymen in its
diplomatic service, especially for coun-
tries like the United States, where it
might prove an embarrassment to send
high prelate as Minister. Many of
the exalted Roman families have main
tanned their status in the Holy See,
forming what has been known as the
BLACK" party. and these will return to
their former posts In the personnel of
the government which they held be-
fore 1870. and largely from this ele-
ment will the diplomatic and other
state officials be chosen. Resident dip
lomats regard 1t as foregone con-
clusion that the Papal States will seek
representation in Washington at the
earliest moment.