Papal Diplomacy and the Taft Vatican Mission
It appears that the pope is exerting himself to turn to the utmost account the "mission" of Governor Taft to the Vatican, in the direction of securing the establishment of permanent diplomatic relations between the United States government and the Vatican. The pope cares little about the disposition of the friars and their property in the Philippines, in comparison with the point of securing recognition from a government whose fundamental principles are a protest against the whole papal system, and which has done much to emancipate humanity from papal dominion. This is the tremendous stake for which the pope is playing, and he is very willing that Governor Taft and the United States should be engrossed with the Philippine side show while he weaves more closely about them the net of papal diplomacy, until he will make it appear that the recognition he seeks is the only consistent course remaining open to this government.