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45 - Worlds Famous Orations - Continental Europe by William Jennings Bryan · Worlds Famous Orations - Continental Europe

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  Speaker 1: Section forty five of the World's Famous Orations, Volume seven,
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  Speaker 1: Continental Europe. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. The World's Famous Orations, Volume seven,
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  Speaker 1: Continental Europe by William Jennings Bryan. Section forty five cavour
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  Speaker 1: Rome as the capital of United Italy eighteen sixty one.
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  Speaker 1: Born in eighteen ten, died in eighteen sixty one. Entered
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  Speaker 1: the Sardinian Parliament in eighteen forty eight, became Prime Minister
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  Speaker 1: in eighteen fifty two. Joined the Alliance in the Crimean War.
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  Speaker 1: Acted with Napoleon II in eighteen fifty eight to fifty
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  Speaker 1: nine in the war against Austria. Secretly supported the expedition
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  Speaker 1: of Garibaldi in eighteen sixty Secured the unification of Italy
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  Speaker 1: under Victor Emmanuel in eighteen sixty one. Rome should be
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  Speaker 1: capital of Italy. Without the acceptance of this premise by
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  Speaker 1: Italy and all Europe, there can be no solution of
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  Speaker 1: the Roman question. If any one could conceive of a
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  Speaker 1: united Italy having any degree of stability without Rome for
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  Speaker 1: its capital, I would declare the Roman question difficult, if
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  Speaker 1: not impossible, of solution. And why have we the right
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  Speaker 1: the duty of insisting that Rome shall be united to Italy?
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  Speaker 1: Because without Rome as the capital of Italy, Italy cannot exist.
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  Speaker 1: This truth, being felt instinctively by all Italians and asserted
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  Speaker 1: abroad by all who judge Italian affairs, impartially needs no demonstration.
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  Speaker 1: It is upheld by the judgment of nations. And yet, gentlemen,
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  Speaker 1: this truth is susceptible of a very simple proof. Italy
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  Speaker 1: has still much to do before it will rest upon
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  Speaker 1: a staple basis, much to do in solving the grave
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  Speaker 1: problems raised by unification, much to do in overcoming the
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  Speaker 1: obstacles which time honored traditions have opposed to this great undertaking.
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  Speaker 1: And if this end must be compassed, it is essential
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  Speaker 1: that there shall be no cause of dissidence or of failure.
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  Speaker 1: Until the question of the capital of Italy is determined,
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  Speaker 1: there will be endless discords among the different provinces. It
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  Speaker 1: is easy to understand how persons of good faith, cultured
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  Speaker 1: and talented are now suggesting, some on historical others on
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  Speaker 1: artistic grounds, the advisability of establishing the capital in some
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  Speaker 1: other city, such a discussion is quite comprehensible now. But
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  Speaker 1: if Italy already had a capital in Rome, do you
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  Speaker 1: think this question would be even possible? Assuredly not. Even
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  Speaker 1: those who are now opposed to transferring the capital to
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  Speaker 1: Rome would not dream of removing it if it were
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  Speaker 1: once established there. Therefore, it is only by proclaiming Rome
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  Speaker 1: the capital of Italy that we can put an end
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  Speaker 1: to these dissensions among ourselves. I am grieved that men
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  Speaker 1: of eminence and genius, men who have rendered glorious service
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  Speaker 1: to the cause of Italian unity, should drag this question
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  Speaker 1: into the field of debate and discuss it with dare
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  Speaker 1: I say it poerial arguments? The question of the capital, gentleman,
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  Speaker 1: is not determined by climate or topography, nor even by
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  Speaker 1: strategical considerations. If these things affected the selection, I think
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  Speaker 1: I might safely say that London would not be the
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  Speaker 1: capital of England, nor perhaps Paris of France. The selection
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  Speaker 1: of the capital is determined by great moral reasons. It
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  Speaker 1: is the will of the people that decides a question
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  Speaker 1: touching them so closely. In Rome, gentlemen are united. All
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  Speaker 1: the circumstances, whether historic, intellectual, or moral, that should determine
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  Speaker 1: the site of the capital. Rome is the only city
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  Speaker 1: with traditions not purely local. The entire history of Rome,
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  Speaker 1: from the time of Caesar to the present day is
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  Speaker 1: the history of a city whose importance reaches far beyond
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  Speaker 1: her confines, of a city destined to be one of
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  Speaker 1: the capitals of the world. Convinced, profoundly convinced of this truth,
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  Speaker 1: I feel constrained to declare it solemnly to you and
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  Speaker 1: to the nation. And I feel bound to appeal in
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  Speaker 1: this matter to the patriotism of every citizen of Italy
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  Speaker 1: and to the representatives of her most eminent cities, that
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  Speaker 1: discussion may cease, and that he who represents the nation
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  Speaker 1: before other powers may be able to proclaim that the
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  Speaker 1: necessity of having Rome as the capital is recognized by
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  Speaker 1: all the nation. I think I am justified in making
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  Speaker 1: this appeal, even to those who, for reasons which I respect,
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  Speaker 1: differ from me on this point. Yet more, I can
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  Speaker 1: assume no spartan indifference in the matter. I say frankly
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  Speaker 1: that it will be deep grief to me to tell
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  Speaker 1: my native city that she must renounce resolutely and definitively
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  Speaker 1: all hope of being the seat of government as far
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  Speaker 1: as I am personally concerned, it is no pleasure to
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  Speaker 1: go to Rome having little artistic taste. I feel sure
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  Speaker 1: that in the midst of the splendid monuments of ancient
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  Speaker 1: and modern Rome, I shall lament the plain and unpoetic
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  Speaker 1: streets of my native town. But one thing I can
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  Speaker 1: say with confidence, knowing the character of my fellow citizens,
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  Speaker 1: knowing from actual facts, how ready they have always been
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  Speaker 1: to make the greatest sacrifices for the sacred cause of Italy,
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  Speaker 1: knowing their willingness to make sacrifices when their city was
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  Speaker 1: invaded by the enemy, and knowing their promptness and energy
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  Speaker 1: in its defense. Knowing all this, I have no fear
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  Speaker 1: that they will not uphold me when, in their name
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  Speaker 1: and as their deputy, I say that Turin is ready
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  Speaker 1: to make this great sacrifice for the interests of a
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  Speaker 1: united Italy. I am comforted by the hope. I may
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  Speaker 1: even say the certainty that when Italy shall have established
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  Speaker 1: the seat of government in the eternal City, she will
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  Speaker 1: not be ungrateful to this land which was the cradle
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  Speaker 1: of liberty, to this land in which was sown that
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  Speaker 1: germ of independence, which maturing rapidly and branching out has
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  Speaker 1: now reached forth its tendrils from Sicily to the Alps.
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  Speaker 1: I have said, and I repeat, Rome, and Rome only
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  Speaker 1: should be the capital of Italy. But here begin the difficulties.
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  Speaker 1: We must go to Rome, but there are two conditions.
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  Speaker 1: We must go there in concert with France. Otherwise the
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  Speaker 1: union of Rome with the rest of Italy would be
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  Speaker 1: interpreted by the great mass of Catholics within Italy and
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  Speaker 1: without it, as the signal of the slavery of the Church.
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  Speaker 1: We must go therefore to Rome in such a way
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  Speaker 1: that the true independence of the pontiff shall not be diminished.
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  Speaker 1: We must go to Rome, but the civil power must
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  Speaker 1: not extend to spiritual things. These are the two conditions
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  Speaker 1: that must be fulfilled if united Italys is to exist.
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  Speaker 1: At the risk of being considered utopian, I believe that
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  Speaker 1: when the proclamation of the principles which I have just declared,
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  Speaker 1: and when the endorsement of them that you will give,
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  Speaker 1: shall become known and considered at Rome and in the Vatican,
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  Speaker 1: I believe. I say that those Italian fibers which the
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  Speaker 1: reactionary party has as yet been unable to remove from
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  Speaker 1: the heart of pious the ninth will again vibrate, and
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  Speaker 1: that there will be accomplished the greatest act that any
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  Speaker 1: people have yet performed. And so it shall be given
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  Speaker 1: to the same generation not only to have restored a nation,
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  Speaker 1: but to have done what is yet greater, yet more sublime,
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  Speaker 1: an act of which the influence is incalculable, and which
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  Speaker 1: is to have reconciled the papacy with the civil power,
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  Speaker 1: to have made peace between church and state, between the
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  Speaker 1: spirit of religion and the great principles of liberty. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: I hope that it will be given us to compass
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  Speaker 1: these two great acts, which will most assuredly carry to
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  Speaker 1: the most distant posterity the worthiness of the present generation
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  Speaker 1: of Italians. End of Section forty five.