OCR Text |
Show DEPUTIES MAINTAIN CORDAT. i No Action by the French Chambers Till Next Year. Paris, May 27. Alter an exciting debate de-bate In which Premier Combes' and Foreign Minister ix basse net forth the action and purpose of the govern-I govern-I ment toward the Vatican, the Chamber of tlAnurifv: tmlav. hv an overwhelm- ing vote, approved the course of the I government in recalling M. Nisard, ambassador to the Vatican, and rejected re-jected all propositions of the extreme element for an immediate dissolution of the relations between Church and State. The vote approving the actijn of the government was 427 to 93. A resolution proposed by Mr. Fer-rette. Fer-rette. Republican Nationalist, inviting the government to negotiate with Pope Pius for a separation of Church am! i State, was defeated by 307 to IS. A motion by M. AJlard. Socialist, to br.-.ii off all relations with the Vatican and denounce the Concordat was defeated by 385 to 146. Premier Combes1' request that all questions regarding the separation of Church and State go over until ne.t January has the effect of postponing separation beyond the present session j of Parliament. M. Ribot. tte minority leader, was among those voting in support of the government. The debate attracted unusual un-usual attention and great crowds were present, including Ambassador Porter and other members of the diplomatic corps. The principle speeches were those cf j Premier Combes and M. Delasse. The premier said the Holy See, in a docu-! docu-! ment hurtful to France, had denounced j to certain European powers the insult I which it alleged the head of the French 1 State had inflicted upon it by return-j return-j ing. in the undisputed capital of his I kingdom, the visit received from the King of Italy and by refusing to admit ad-mit the claim of the I'ltramontaines' to prerogatives represented as untenable. unten-able. "This recall," said Premier Combes, "signifies that we intend to have done once for all with the superannuated fiction of temporal power, which disappeared dis-appeared thirty-rour years ago. We will not withdraw the whole staff accredited ac-credited to the Vatican, as we are bound by the Concordat to maintain at the Vatican an agent of our government govern-ment for the carrying on of business, j W'e cannot suppress the embassy and the Concordat by our own authority, j for that role belongs to the Chambers." Premier Combes went on to say nat several schemes for ending the Concordat Con-cordat were under consideration in committee, and it only remained for the Chamber to have the question brought up for consideration immediately immedi-ately after the passage of the budget next January. "Seeing how the Concordat is daily observed, or rather violated, by he church," continued the premier, "some solution it-; necessary. We .-an no longer remain in this situation with- ot bringing it to an issue. When the discussion comes up I will state the government's- opinion, but for the moment mo-ment I ask the Chamber to confine its resolution to the measure forming tiie subject of th e. debate." If It Should be Done. Paris, May 28. Premier Combes' announcement an-nouncement that the question of the separation of Church and State would: come up in January has drawn attention atten-tion to the law already formulated by I the committee on the separation of Church and State. It is a sweeping i measure, the opening clauses' reading I as follows: "Tie republic assures freedom of conscience and it guarantees the free exercise of religion without restriction, ' except for the preservation or public ! order. The republic w ill neither uro- ! tect nor pay salaries nor subventions under any form whatever to anv denomination. de-nomination. It will not recognize any minister of religion and will not furnish fur-nish any building for the services of any denomination or for the lodging o any of its ministers." The measure further abolishes the Concordat, suppresses the French embassy em-bassy at the Vatican and makes detailed de-tailed provision for the disposal of ihe government's extensive possession of c 1 - in ch property, in comparison with Uw present re- j gime, under which the clergy are i salaried officials and the minister of public worship is one of the members of the cabinet, the foregoing makes a j striking change in long established social so-cial conditions. |