Year: 1872

The Roman Question and the Coun-


oil OF tho Empcrors.


A special despatch to the London Daily Nems
from Rome-a despatch which we printed in
the HERALD of yesterday-state with some
appearance of authority that the Emperors of
Germany of Austria and of Russia, during
their conference at Berlin, resolved to advise
the Pope to abandon the Jesuits, promising,
should he accept their advice, to use their
good Offices with the Italian government for
the protection of foreign religious corpora
tions in Rome. This is precisely what week
expect.


The Roman question, as we said then, is
one of the incest questions of this age, and it
is reasonable, we think, to say further that
the satisfactory solution Of that question would
be accepted as q relief by united Christen-
Protestants and Catholics alike. It is q
question which deeply concerns the future
welfare and internal peace of Germany. 1t is
of first rate Importance to Austria, where the
new ideas of this progressive age are rampant,
but where the Church of Rome is at once the
Church of the State and the Church of the
people. 1t is question which must deeply
concern Russia SO long as she holds under
her control SO large portion of ancient Po-
land. 1t was not only natural, it was desir-
able, that the three Emperors should consider
the Roman question and attolnpt at least to
arrive at some conclusion in the premises. If
this report be strictly correct we do not feel
satisfied that the Holy Father is at all likely to
take the advice which has been offered him or
that any substantial good will come from i'm
perial interference. The Jesuits he cannot
abandon. It was they who enabled him some
years ago to proclaim the dogma of the I'm
maculate Conception. It was they who
secured for him whatever glory came from the
recent Ecumenical Council. The Pope is not
the man to go back upon his friends, not even
at the bidding of three Emperors. During the
present incumbency of the chair of st. Peter
we have no hope of any radical change in the
policy of the Roman Curia.


In the interests of peace, however, the
agreement of the three Emperors must be
aCCOuuUou VI bOLuo VuAuc. Auc ACtAAihu SOV-
ernment has just made some very fair propo-
sails to the Holy Father, and it is reasonable to
infer that X the italian government is COM
PEELED to take decisive action without the
consent of the Pope it will be able to count
with confidence on the support of the three
great powers of Northern Europe. In the Papal
territory outside of the city of Rome the
same laws are to apply as in the rest Of Italy.
The orders are to be suppressed and the &C.
clesiastical property is to be sold for the
benefit of the State. Inside of Rome there
are to be two differences. Ecclesiastical
property is not to be sold for the benefit
of the State; the money realized by such sale
is to be devoted to religious, educational
and sanitary purposes. Then, again, the re-
ligious institutions, which have their central
seat in Rome are to be allowed to retain their
houses; but for the property which is to be
taken from them they are to receive an equiva-
lent in the shape of Italian rentes. ALI things
considered, this seems the best arrangement
possible. Now that the Great Powers of the
North and East are of one mind with the
Italian government the presumption is that
this arrangement will take effect Plus the
Ninth will not be satisfied; but his successor
will find it necessary to accept the situation.


The Tenement House Abominations.


The action of the sanitary inspectors in