The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-05-12

'.ssCcAS'Sof'o " oAAASSf-s ttuuE SOuSAh'SN w
discharge some Of their least important
functions. Caesar" continues Gibbon
chad improved his fate by ostcntatiously
taking tho title of King, while he might
have reigned as such under the title OF
consul or tribune. Augustus was sen
sible that nankindis governed by names;
nor was he deceived in his expectation
that the senate and people trould submit
to slarery, prorided that they ,oere res
pectfully assured tAat they enjoyed Mei,
ancient freedom. "To explain, in few
words, the system of the imperial gov
eminent, as it was instituted by Angus
tus, and maintained by, those princes
who understood their own interest and
that Of the people, it may be defined as
an absolute monarchy disguised by the
forms ola commonwealth. They mas
tiers of the Roman world environed
their throne with darkness, and humbly
professed themselves the accountable
ministers of the senate, whose supreme
DEGREES they dictated and obeyed. The
face of the court corresponded with the
forms of tile administration. The en-
perors, if we except those tyrants whose
capricious folly violated every law of
nature and .decency, ldisdained that
pomp and ceremony which, nigh. Of
fend their countrymen but coald add
nothing to their real power. A feeble
senate and cnervated people cheerfully
acquiesced in the pleasing illusion, as
long as it was supported by the virtue
or even by the prudence, of the success
sors, of Augustus. It was motive of
self-preservation, not a. principle OF
liberty, that animated the conspirators
against Caligula, Nero and Domitian.
They attacked the person of the tyrant
without aiming their blows at the au-
thority of the emperor" z;nfosaa d.e.,
lin the reign succeeding that of Aug
ustus stthe assemblies of the people
were for ever abolished, and the cmper-
ors We're delivered from a dangerous
multitude, who, without restoring lib
erty, might have disturbed and per-
haps endangered tho established gov
eminent. And some of the successors
of Augustus "scrupulously observed
his constitutional fictions.n As late as
the age of the Antonrnes tho Greel,
historians say that, "althoueh tho SOW
ereign of Rome, in compliance with an
absolete prejudice, abstained from the
name Of king, he possessed tile full
measure of legal power AS imperial
ism became more fully established, the
forms and shams were dispensed with.
"The fine theory of rcpublic,n says
Gibbon, "insensibly vanished. ?
Historylhas repeated itself; republi-
canism has persisted in America, as it
did in Rome.in The formis left, but the
soul is NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. supremacy"
in "the government" and republican
freedom cannot coexist, for the reason
that tile latter is the absolute right Of
the people to govern themselves, and
to make aud 'unmake all governments
at will.' If the people would enjoy
freedom again, they must rl,estake SOW.
ereignty-a peaceaGly if they can ~ for
chilly if they must" -
- uWho would be free
Themselves must Strike the blow" - Z
Philosophy teaches rs specially, by
the examples of Roman history. we
find there the same peryensions and
usurpations, and the same destruction
of liberty, in the name of liberty that
we have experienced. .t41Mariuss and
Cesar" says Gibbon, it.subverted the
consultation of their country 10y de-
clsring themselves tho, protectors of
the peoples" and Augustus pretended
to be servant ofthe people while dcs-
troying their liberty, and making HIM
self a {, DICTATOR He established Gan
absolute monarchy, disguised by. the
forms of commonwealth" "His sue
cessors for a while observed his consti-
tutional fctions," but the republic in
sensibly vanished" Like ours, the
representatives Of the Roman people
ignored their delegativo capacity and
acted "as from original powers Those
perverters and usurpcrs, like ours,
pleaded necessity; the welfare of the
people; the public safety, the life Of
nation, and the inherent right to pre-
serve their own existence. With them
too, "tle erny was the safety Of the
republic p This institution, composed
Of hirelings, as time advanced became
moreland moro recruited from foreign
sources, .and more and mere depraved
in materials. 1t acted for a long time
as an efficient instrument of tyranny,
and finally set up the business for it.
self, and sold the empire at auction.
s@affl Z,
n6- Apropos Of the faith of the Presi-
dent and bis Cabinet, the Jenkinses thus
dispose Of the whole party; t,r 20 8
Attorney General HoaE "a . Unitarian.
Secretary ofthe interior Cox is Sweden
horuion Socrotorv of tho N.vv pxr:i: