The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-03-11

Of the inhabitants were sold into slavery
From GAIA he marched his army int
Egypt, but finding the Egyptians had de
vote1 themselves exclusively to agricul
tural pursuits, and there being very little
gold or silver in the country, he retraceC
his steps through Syria, and met the
emperor of Persia and his army at Arbelia
Darius offered Alexander ten Thousand
talents in gold, (equal to $275, ,OOO, ,OOO)
half his empire, and his daughter in mar.
riage,, to make peace with him. Alexan-
der declined the offer, and defeated the
Persian army with great slaughter. Darius
fed into one Of the provinces Of his empire,
and shortly after was murdered by one Of
his own subjects.
Alexander's victory at Arbelia, gave him
possession of the Persian empire, and its
vast treasure in gold and silver but he
did not live long enough to enjoy it, for
SIX years later he died in drunken de-
bauch, in the city of Babylon.
The curse that Persia had put upon
Greece recolled upon herself, for her
own immense wealth became concentrated
IN the hands of few OF her people, and
nIne-tenths Of her population were slaves
to money oligarchy consequently, when
Alexander invaded Persia, the down-trod-
den people were ripe for rebellion. and
joined his army in large numbers.
Perslas metallic wealth was the cause Of
her overthrow. 1t destroyed the patriot
Ism OF her people, and invited the invader
to JON her rebellious subjects in dealing
out retrlbutive justice TO her rulers.
About one hundred and twenty years
before the christian era the Romans took
the gold fever, and commenced raiding for
gold upon other nations
hundred years later Roman army,
under Pompey, captured Jerusalem and
reduced Judea to a Roman province
Under the rule Of Roman viceroys. and
governors. Judea was thoroughly plum
dered, and her people became divided into
violent and sangulnary factions, which
caused great destruction to life and pro-
perty. A large portion of the people were
continually plotting to overthrow their
Roman rulers, and, whenever they we're
suspected OF treason, the adherents Of
Rome showed them no mercy. During
tins unhappy state Of affairs, portion Of
the Jews proclaimed Christ the Messiah
and King. This drew upon him the ven
gence of Rome's cuthroats, and PLATE.
governor Of Judea, cowardly submitted to
his cruclhxion. The Jews continued to
rebel against Roman rule, until finally
Jerusalem was invested by Roman army
under Titus six months of carnage around
its walls ended with total destruction of
the city, and the final subsection of the
Jewish people. Thus perished a great
nation, that thrice relieved itself from bon
dage, and was thrice conquered by king
Gold.
What a commentary on the aca,lce Of
man
Gold in large quantities flowed into
Rome from Judea aud other CONQUERED
provinces, and for nearly four hundred
years Rome boarded the plunder obtained
from other nations. The rich grew richer.
and the poor, poorer; until the entire
wealth OF The nation was absorbed by a
very small minority of the people, and the
balance were reduced to the most abiect
slavery. The wealthy reveled in gilded
wee and corruption, until the great safe
guards to nations, Virtue and Nalor. were
no longer inherent i'll the people. The
forbidden fruit did its work etfectually.
and Rome became nation Of imbeciles
and serfs. Then the gold raiders com
menced to prey upon her, and for time
she ransomed herself with treasure but
finally she was conquered, and the en-
peror, Augustullus, abiectly begged his life
OF the conqueror Of his empire, and yielded
hls royal neck to the iron yoke of Odoacer
ing of the Goths and Nandals.
Rome's epitaph should be: Died from a
sUrteit Of Gold
From the middle Of the eighth to the lat
ter part Of the ninth century, the Scandi-
naylans made number of gold raids on
England, France and Spain. In 98I the
Danes made a gold raid on England, and a
ransom was promised but England failed
to meet the payment, and the kingdom was
surrendered to the Danes
From the fall Of the Roman empire to the
commencement Of the crusade wars, the
strife for power between Church and State,
kept the people busily engaged, except
for short period during the reign Of
Charlemagne. He did not seek to accu-
mulate gold, hut conquered for the purpose
of advancing the people to higher stand
ard of civilization. The reign Of Charlie
magne fills the brightest pages Of history
He taught the people to seek for wealth in
soil instead of the mines and his daugh-
ters set the people good examples liz indus
try, by spinning flax for their own gar
ments. Charlemagne was a guiding star
to the people of Europe for a short time,
but at his death they were again left in
darkness
The next great event that caused a stir
in the metallic wealth Of Europe, was the
crusade wars, instigated by Peter the
hermit. Those wars commenced in 1895,
and lasted over a hundred years
In 1899 the Christians captured Jerusa-
lem aud massacred the Jews and the Ma
hometans. One hundred and seventy
seven years later, the Tartars, under Gen
gis Kan, made gold raid into Syria, cap
tured several cities and massacred Chris
tians Jews rnd Turks.
During the crusade wars nearly ali the
gold coin disappeared from Europe what
little remained became vary much debased
and renamed in that state until the latter
part of the sixteenth century
The merchants of Genoa, Venice, and
Constantinople gathered up gold coin dur
ing the crusades, in payment for supplies
furnished to the armies on their way to
the Holy Land. During the war and after
it closed, gold advanced in value enor-
mously throughout Europe, and the price
Of all commodities, measured by gold, de-
clined accordingly.
(To he continued \