The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1863-11-20

ment; from the government also the pop
ulace drew their allowance of provisions,
but twas the wealth robbed of devasta.
ted nations that enabled Julius Caesar
to spread twenty thousand tables in the
streets of Rome on his triumphal return,
to the city. The rest of the empire was
robbed and spoiled to pay the expense
in Rome of q train Of comedians and
dancers; of the combats in the morning
of men with wild beasts, and the meri.
dian spectacle of the gladiators. 1t was
the wealth drained from subjugated prov.
inces that supported the Roman popu.
ulacein life of idleness, furnishing them
with provisions as we'll as the means of
luxury and amusement.
Despoiled by the conqueror, deprived
OF the privilege of self.government, and
impoverished by the tax. .gatherer, the
Subjdgated provinces that composed the
imam empire had but little interest in
its preservation, "rhe subject" says
Robertson, in speaking of the Gothic
conquests, deprived by the jealousy of
despotism of the use of arms, had neither
spirit nor inclination to resist the inva-
ders." As the provinces had been sub
jugated by arms, it was necessary to
keep armies scattered over the empire to
retain them in subjection. Rome had
oil she could do to retain the countries
she had conquered. Rebellion in Pal.
astine and other parts of Asia, in Gaul,
Britain, Spain and Asia, gave employ.
ment to the armies that once added new
territory to the empire, which for centu,
ries, instead of making conquests, was
distracted by civil war. While the for
tunes of Rome were trembling in the
balance, as cloud Of barbarism was
suspended on the frontiers, the empire
was dived into Eastern and Western. -
The very time when Italy was taken pos.
session ofby the Cloths was marked by
instructions in Africa, and revolutions;
successful for time, in Gaul, Britain
and Spain. Religious sects, prosecuted
by the Government, denied the privilege
OF free speech and of worShipping God
according 70 their own consciences, wel>
coined the barbarians as deliverers from
oppression. The army was infected
with the same spirit that was manifested
among the people. Important posts
were betrayed to the enemy, and many
OF the soldiers deserted to the standard
of the Goths where they found leaders
that had once occupied high positions
in the Roman army. A government
which had oil it could do to retain its
provinces in subsection was ill-prepared
to. resist the impetuous torrent of the
German invasion.
The government centralized at Rome
naturally degenerated into despotiSm
in which the military became the para.
mount authority. Despotism is al
ways jealous. A system of spies were
extended all over the empire. To
condense the language of Gibbon, speak.
ing of the times of Constantine, "A
faithful subject of Syria, or perhaps
of Britain, was exposed to the danger,
or at least the dread, Of being dragged
in chains to the the court of Milan, or of
ConStantinople, to defend his life and
fortune against the malicious charges of
those privileged reformers." The de-
fects of evidence were supplied by the
use of torture. A fatal maxim was in.
trouduced into the new jurisprudence of
the empire, that, in case of treason, which
included every offense' that the subtlety
of lawyers could devise from hostile
intention towards the prince or republic,
all privileges were suspended and all
conditions reduced to the same ignomin.
iouS level. AS the safety of the empire
was avowedly preferred to every consid-
Grafton of justice OR humanity, the dig
nifty of age and the tenderness of young
were alike exposed to the most cruel tor
lures, and the terrors of q malicious in
formation, which might select them as
the accomplices or even as the witnesses,
perhaps of an imaginary world. The
emperors were generally elected by a
portion of the army employed to keep
the different provinces in Subjection -
During the ninety.three years from the
death of Commodus to the election OF
DiocleSian thirty.two emperors and
twenty.Seven pretenders to the empire
alternately hurled each other from the
throne 5y'sinceSsant civil wars. These
emperors generally reigned but a short
time, some for only few days, when
they were killed in battle, or assassinated
in their palaces. Their successors were
generally elected by q portion of the
army, and often different portions of the
army would elect different emperors
when the possession of the throne would
be decided by series of battles. Dur.
ing the reign Of Gallienus, while the
empire was attacked by the PersiaDs on
the. East and by the Germans on the
North, ID was distracted by the conflicts
of nineteen pretenders to the throne, the
most of whom commanded portions Of
the Roman army, and some of whom
were ready to purchase the aid of the
barbarians who were then making in
roads on the empire.
I Such was the condition of the Roman
empire, and in reviewing its history we
find that one great cause of its fall, like
that of the ancient empires of Asia, was
its system Of centralization, which natN
rally degenerated into military despot.
ism, that impoverished the rest of the
empire for the benefit Of Rome, which,
instead Of recognizing the right of self
government and paying an equal regard
to the interests of every section Of the
empire, linking its different parts into Q
cOnfederAcy bv a union of free consent