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Show THE POPE AS ARBITRATOR. Historjr would be only repeating itself if in this twentieth. centurjr the pope was selected as arbitrator ar-bitrator between nations, not alone for the weak, but for the most powerful. Xot long ago it was given out, although unofficially, that Pius X. would cheerfully send a representative to The Hague if the signatory powers consented. We now know why the late pope was not represented at the first session at The Hagxie. It was through an understanding under-standing between Italy and England, the latter agreeing to oppose the consent of the pope if the j former opposed the consent of the Boer republics to a voice" in the tribunal. At that time England was engaged in a war to exterminate the Boers, and the United States had not concluded its war with Spain. - This insult to the Catholic Church was shared by everj peace-loving individual in the world, for none like the popes have succeeded so admirably as arbitrators. Xot long ago it was reported that the German emperor, through an intermediarj-, had asked the pope-.-whether he wrould consent, in the event of being asked, to arbitrate between Russia and Japan. What answer was given is not known. The story may be only rumor, naturally arising from the wisdom and fitness of such selection. While this is passed for rumor only, it is a fact that the pope has been requested by the governments govern-ments of Brazil and Bolivia to allow Monsignor Tonti, the papal nuncio at Rio Janeiro, to act as president of an arbitration tribunal for the settlement settle-ment of territorial questions between the two countries. Rev. Dr. Henry Brann of Xew York, on the subject of papal arbitration, says war between -nations has several times been averted by the friendly mediation of the pope. Pope -Alexander VI. was a Spaniard, yet John, the king of Portugal, in the. beginning of . the sixteenth century, accepted him as a mediator in a dispute as to the boundary line between Spain and Portugal in their South American Ameri-can possessions. Ferdinand, king cf Spain, was the other -party to the controversy. Diplomacy had been exhausted, and war was imminent, when the pope was asked to act as mediator. It is not necessary to go back so far, though, to find an instance where the pope has been a successful suc-cessful mediator between two- great powers, one a nation of opposite faith. About a dozen years ago a difficulty arose between Germany' and Spain regarding re-garding the Caroline islands. That was a serious matter. Much feeling existed in each country against the other. All means of a peaceable settlement settle-ment through representath-es of either government had failed. Each country was getting ready for war, and something unusual had to happen to pre vent it. Something more than unusual happened something remarkable? in fact. It was Bismarck Who once said, in addressing the Reichstag in regard re-gard to some Catholic question, "I will not go to Canossa," which was a scornful reference to the recantation and pilgrimage of 'Henry TV. of Germany; Ger-many; yet when Emperor William agreed .with Spain to submit the question to the pope as arbitrator arbi-trator aud be bound by 'his decision, Bismarck announced an-nounced that ''they had recourse to the pope as sovereign; a dignity that history and law and right had for centuri3 accorded them." In an official communication during the negotiations Bismarck addressed the Pope as ''sire," a term never applied to a sovereign.- So. even Bismarck went to Ca-nosss. Ca-nosss. . ' " - |