No. 15.
Mr. Delaplaine to Mr. Fish.

No. 743.]

Sir: Certain declarations of the minister of foreign affairs of Austria-Hungary, in regard to the foreign policy of the empire on the 9th instant before the finance committee of the delegations now in session at Buda-Pest, seem to possess sufficient interest and importance as to recommend my communicating them to you.

In the discussion of the budget of the ministry, upon the interpellation of Dr. Schaup, as to the position assumed in view of the provocatory expressions of the Vatican, by reason of the recently confessional laws passed in Austria, Count Andrássy replied, that in the matter of the encyclica but a single note had been sent by the ministry for foreign affairs. He regretted that he could not communicate the full text of it. He especially regretted this because he did not believe that any Red Book could give even an approximate, much less a perfectly illustrative picture of the activity of the ministry for foreign affairs, and he therefore considered it the more necessary that the delegation should possess the fullest right to receive the most ample explanations in all questions [Page 26] affecting the foreign policy, and, indeed, whenever it could in the least manner consistently be done, even to examine the respective documents.

In the present case, however, this could not take place for the special reason that the note formed simply the completion of a private letter which His Majesty had addressed to the Pope. The note was intended to complete the representation of the personal motives which had influenced His Majesty in his decision. A communication of the full text of the note could therefore not take place; but not on account of its contents, which in no respect need to shun daylight, but exclusively on account of its form. The minister sketched thereupon the contents of the note in the following form:

The note has, above all, expressed the view that those persons who had inspired the encyclica were, perhaps, not so much induced by the endeavor to prevent a collision between church and state as rather by the wish to provoke the same. The note had absolutely not brought into question, as was maintained by some, the right of the Pope to communicate his opinion on ecclesiastical matters to the bishops, but it had openly expressed regret that the encyclica, beyond this limit, had declared a condemnatory judgment in matters which were not of a dogmatical nature, but founded in the sovereign legislative right of the state. The government further declares in the note that it, in this, to its regret, so difficult situation, would endeavor to do nothing that could provoke a collision between church and state, but that this would only then be possible, when in contradiction to decisively and absolutely condemnatory judgment of the encyclica, the bishops should be counselled to obey the laws of the state.

In conclusion the note declares that in the event that, contrary to all anticipation, the domestic peace should be so imperilled that the clergy should refuse obedience to the established laws, then the government would consider itself both as well justified as obligated to maintain the right of the state; yet that it further entertained the conviction that it would succeed in fully enforcing the laws.

Upon a further inquiry of the interpolator, whether his excellency was disposed to make communications as to the result of this action on his part, the minister replied that the note was not intended to provoke a response, and that such had not followed; that he possessed no certain basis on which to report the actual results of this action, but that he could not complain, on the contrary, inasmuch as now the matter seemed in a measure to have rested.

A further inquiry of the interpellator, relative to the recent declaration in the English Parliament, and the communications of the Times with respect to the presence of Victor Emmanuel in Berlin, furnished occasion to the minister for certain significant remarks as to the present situation of Europe, in which he discovered nothing that would appear in the least to threaten peace.

To a demand of the delegate, Dr. Gross, that the minister would be pleased to characterize generallly the relations of the empire with foreign powers, as also the situation of Europe, Count Andrássy declared that when the inquiry should be so pointed as to ask whether he saw any danger of war probable, then his answer must be absolutely “no;” still for how long a time peace may be considered as certain, on that point he could give no positive assurance, and he, moreover, believed that no man in all Europe now living could say that; yet, this much he might assert, that he knew of no government which to-day intended to disturb the peace; however, there exist undeniably great antagonisms between certain nations; sentiments and interests, which do not permit the consideration of peace as being perfectly assured for a [Page 27] long time to come. As regards this monarchy, he must offer two assertions: one is, that our position toward other powers when it does not alone maintain peace still as well as in its relations to neighboring governments as also toward other states, this monarchy had materially aided in maintaining peace and would continue to give such aid; the other assertion is, that the means of rendering this action, also effectual in the future, must exist always and only in upholding the power of the monarchy to that degree of vigor that it would be strong enough to maintain peace as long as possible, yet, under all circumstances to sustain its own interests.

An observation of the Delegate Serinzi, that he believed that an inference might be drawn from the remarks of the minister, that the repeated personal interviews of the monarchs offered a significant and satisfactory guarantee of peace, caused a reply from the minister to the effect that this had been the exclusive object of the personal exchange of opinions between the monarchs and their ministers, and he therefore considered it the more unnecessary to deny the various newspaper articles which announced on the occasion of the last interview political compacts for a partition of the East, or for a new direction of foreign policy, inasmuch as the same announcements had been issued on the occasion of the meeting of the three emperors at Berlin; and these announcements had since sunk into disregard and discredit; therefore it seemed manifest that when such widely extended plans or such important alliances against any power had not been planned when the three empires were represented, such must become less probable when only two were represented.

These declarations appear to be received by the community with animated satisfaction, and the comments of the almost universal press of Austria-Hungary have been highly favorable.

I have, &c.,

J. F. DELAPLAINE.