The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-05-22
THE TWO REPUBLICS.
Rome VS.. America.

Rome VS.. America.
Abraham Lincoln never uttered truer
words than when he said, ''This is a gov
ernment of the people, for the people. and
by the people," 1t is government of the
people, and is run by the people through
the. ballot box. Rome never was such a
republic. The patricians or upper classes
held an absolute monopoly of the govern
ment, and ruled the plebeian or lower
classes with military despotsm. Hence
arose those horrible contentious between
the patricians and plebeians which threat
ened at one time the complete destruction
and overthrow of the republic. The lower
classes had no voice whatever in the gov
eminent, and were little better than slaves,
and deprived, as they unfortunately were,
of the means of information, were easily
resented the middle classes, were at one
time driven out of Rome, and all their prop
erty confiscated. Deprived of their power
full support, the aristocracy found them
selves unable to exist, and the plebeians
and privileges restored. The history of the
republic from it's rise to it's fall is story of
cruelty and outrage. Men cruelty and per-
sstently crowded each other to the WALL
Civilization had so advanced that it made
men willing slaves, when God had made
the world to bring them forth abundance,
without the necessity of their killing each
other to get it. The greedy hand of mo-
nOpoly was thrust into every corner and
crevice of industry grasping the spoil of the
multitude. A great many historians when
writing of the Greeks or Romans talk about
their patriotism and virtues, and hold them
up to us as examples to initiate. l think
they do us great wrong. for if it were pos
sible for the nature of things to be reversed,
and the ancientS could see US as we see
them, there is no doubt but what they
would admire us as much and more than
we admire them.
For my part, l do not intend to yield the
palm of our American republic to any Greek
or Roman that ever lived. We equal the
Greeks in patriotism. we rival the Romans in
the construction of civil government, and
we have surpassed them both in National
virtues. There is nothing in all the war
history of Rome that will for moment
compare with our American revolution. If
we take into consideration the wisdom with
which our forefathers debated, the patriot
ism and fOrtitude by which they sustained,
the strength of the power they had to resist
and the great victory gained over tyranny
and OppressiOn; we must justly style this
the greatest revolution that has ever graced
the history of mankind. When the found
ers of this republic flung from their great
minds the Declaration of Independence,
tyranny felt,a shock that went echoing
around the globe.
The Romans were possessed of the spirit
of liberty, but not the real principles; for
when their flag waved victoriously in every
cline. they did all in their power to en-
slave the human race. The brutality with
which they treated the vanquished explains
their original character. The conqueror
considered the captured, not as his prisoner,
but as his property. He led him about rat
tling in chains, and doomed him at pleas
ure to slavery or death. Life. liberty.
humanity were overwhelmed and
destroyed to aggrandize the power of Rome.
The earth trembled with the tread of her
mighty armies. Power and conquest was
the god of men in those days. The patri-
clans of Rome constantly fOstered the mill
tary spirit, they gloried in war. Their am
bition was to conquer and to rule the world.
War and conquest was idolized and was
considered the highest ambition to which
Rome's citizens could aspire. America, ex-