able, philanthropic, and religious bodies. What supports them
all? Voluntary contributions. Now what I mean to say is this--I mean
to say that if a proper organization was arranged here, they could get
annual receipts from the whole round globe that would make the Pope
the richest man on it. Why, in that case Rothschild wouldn't be a
circumstance. The Pope might go into banking himself, and control the
markets of the world. But no. There's a lot of ministers here, and
they haven't any head for it. I wish they'd give me a chance. I'd make
things spin.

"Then, again, they've got other things here that's ruining them.
There's too much repression, and that don't do for the immortal mind.
My idea is that every man was created free and equal, and has a right
to do just as he darn pleases; but you can't beat that into the heads
of the governing class here. No, Sir. The fact is, what Rome wants is
a republic. It'll come, too, some day. The great mistake of his
Holiness's life is that he didn't put himself at the head of the
movement in '48. He had the chance, but he got frightened, and backed
down. Whereas if he had been a real, live Yankee, now--if he had been
like some of our Western parsons--he'd have put himself on the tiptop
of the highest wave, and gone in. Why, he could have had all Italy at
his right hand by this time, instead of having it all against him.
There's where he made his little mistake. If I were Pope I'd fight the
enemy with their own weapons. I'd accept the situation. I'd go in head
over heels for a republic. I'd have Rome the capital, myself
president, Garibaldi commander-in-chief, Mazzini secretary of state--a
man, Sir, that can lick even Bill Seward himself in a regular,
old-fashioned, tonguey, subtile, diplomatic note. And in that case,
with a few live men at the head of affairs, where would Victor Emanuel
be? Emphatically, nowhere!

"Why, Sir," continued the Baron, "I'd engage to take this city as it
is, and the office of Pope, and run the whole Roman Catholic Church,
till it knocked out all opposition by the simple and natural process
of absorbing all opponents. We want a republic here in Rome. We want
freedom, Sir. Where is the Church making its greatest triumphs to-day?
In the States, Sir. If the Catholic Church made itself free and
liberal and go-ahead; if it kept up with the times; if it was imbued
with the spirit of progress, and pitched aside all old-fashioned
traditions--why, I tell you, Sir,