People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-27
THE GREATEST OF THE ROMANS.
PART THIRD.


quent mention of Cesar crossing the
Rubicon."
Well, the Rnbicon was a small
River which lay between the Prov
ince where Cesar was Governor and
the Roman territory which adjoined
it on the East. While he was in his
own Province he had legal right to
lead his army wherever he saw fit.
But it was treason for him or any
other Governor to go outside of his
Province and into any other Roman
territory.
Cesar crossed the Rubicon because
it was about the only way to keep
Pompey from crossing him.
AS you were told in last weeks
article, Cesar and Pompey each had
an army. Cesar was near the bor-
der of France, while Pompey was at
Rome. Cesar had on his side, in the
struggle which was about to com
mence, the troops which had SO often
followed him to victory and which
were devoted to him. Most Of the
common people also sympathlzed with
him. To the heart of the "rag-tag
and bob-taiI' Cesar was very dear.
They remembered how he had fought
to give them equal rights under the
Law. Those officers at Rome called
Tribunes of the People were also on
his side. One of them was the cele-
brated Marc Antony. The other
was a gilded young rascal named
Curio. Cesar had bought him over
by tremendous bride, and he had
been for long while mere tool of
Cesar's at Rome.
On Pompey's side was his army,
composed mostly of men who had
not done much fighting. Then he
had the Senate and the aristocracy
generally; also the Public Treasures
and the Governments sanction to
raise more troops and to compel
Cesar to knock under.
Before the Civil War actually be-
gan, Cesar made every effort which
could be made to avoid it. He did
not wish to put himself into the
power of men whom he knew were
intent on his ruin, but he did wish to
save bloodshed if possible. Pompey
wanted Cesar to disband his troops
and come to Rome, where he would
be helpless against Pompey and his
army. In reply to this, Cesar SAID
that Pompey had no right to be in
Rome with troops; that he ought to
be in Spain which was his Province.
This was quite true.
Cesar therefore proposed that both
he and Pompey should be required
to disband their troops at the same
time. Thus neither would have any
advantage over the other. Pompey
refused, although the Senate so Or
dered.
Then Cesar wrote his famous let
ter to the Roman Senate, which
Curio read in open Session. In this
letter Cesar withdrew his demands
that Pompey should 60 to his Prov
ince and that he should disband his
army. Cesar stated his own willing
ness to dismiss all his troops but one
Legion, and to resign his Province, If
the Senate would assign him the
Government of much smaller Prov
ince in Italy. The Senate refused to
listen to the proposition at all.
They passed a decree that Cesar
must Immediately resign his Prov
ince, disband his troops or be held a
Traitor.
The Tribunes of the People had a
legal right to veto this law and thus
kill it. Curio and Marc Antony did
SO. The Senators were so angry
with them for this that they had to
run for their lives. The high toned
Senators wanted to kill them for ex-
ercising their plain legal right.
Disguised as slaves, the two Tri-
Dunes of the People escaped from