Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1907 — FORM FOREIGN LANDS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FORM FOREIGN LANDS.

The upper house of the Austrian, or Cisleithan, rerehsrath has accepted without amendment the bill establishing universal suffrage, which previously had been passed by the House of Representatives. London - papers reported that James Bryce had refused a peerage and would go to the United States as ambassador without changing his name, and thus be the first plain citizen to represent his Country at Washington. Just as it came from the French Chamber of Deputies, the new church and state separation act was finally passed by the Senate, 190 to 100. This was-directed against those churchmen who had refused to accept the original separation law’ of 1905, and al) elergy who refused under orders from the Pope to give over possession of their residences and church properties to the state do so on penalty of losing pensions. While the priests have disregarded the law providing for religious associations, the laity have made .the necessary declarations to protect the churches and other places of worship. It is'presumed that the other ecclesiastical buildings will be rented to the bishops and priests at a nominal figure, just as the clergy who have said most without making, a legal declaration to hold a public meeting have had only nominal fines imposed upon them. The French minister of finance ha* ■ordered the mints to substitute on all coin the words “liberty, equality and fraternity” for the old device "God protect France.” Minister of Education Briand announced that the chnrch buildings taken possession of by the state would be devoted to educational and museum purposes, the seminary of St. Suluice at Paris becoming part of the Luxenbourg museum. The expelled sisters of the As sumptionists order left Paris for Belgium, in the midst of-a throng of sympathizers, who shouted; “Down with th* Vree Mason*."