The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1894-03-22
JULIUS CESAR.
TBy Member of Class ID.

BY Member of Class d.
That CaiuS julius Caesar was great man. is
fact that no one can cOnScientiOuSly deny; tnaC
he was also as great a rascal as he was great IN
other ways, is just as equally true. VIII ADMIT
that he accomplished much OF what may De pro- |
nounced good but the good that he wrought was
done only to established himself more hrmiy IN
the hearts and minds of the people so that ms
future conduct might be more readily condoned.
When one thinks OF the cruel and bloody massa-
cres of which he was the instigator. the SELFISH
ness and cunning which underl!e all his great
ness it causes one to inquire whether he really
deserves the encomiums and euleges that are
heaped upon him.
If one we're to ranSack, from beginning to END,
the political history of any commonwealth in eX-
istence to-day. hardly think that there could
be found in them any instances that are the
equal. either for cunning. knavery or adrotness
of the dealings of this noble Roman. No, not
even the most gifted schemer of the French
Chamber of Deputies which, not so long ago, al
most plunged the people of that republic into a
revolution by their damnable Panama robbery,
was worthy to wear the cast off sandals OF Jul
Jus Caesar.
Although of patrcian stock. he did not hesl-
tate TO throw all his resources and wonderful
political knowledge into the balance OF the peDl-
ans when they became tired of aristocratlc mis-
rule but he did not do so because he was at
heart in sympathy with Them but because he
saw in it a way to crafty his one absorbing pas
Sion--to be considered great From one high
office to another he climbed with rapidity that
was astonishing AS questor he lived IN mag
nificence and splendor that compared favorably
with the court of some Arabian Nights calph.
The common people looked upon him III open
eyed wonder and establishment and called nm
great the people of his own class. feared. nated
and plotted against him. The proceeds OF ms
MANY bloody campaigns spent in riOtous living.
he plunged head over heels in debt But deOt
held no terrors for c. j. Caesar: no indeed, the
man who had subdued the hardy Briton. and
conquered the fierce and wariike Gau and Teul-
tor was not to be terrOriZed by the mere fact
that he owed few patry millions and his I'M
limited cunning soon hit upon means by which
to eNtricate himself from that difficulty He had
only to make known the fact that he wished to
become pOntifeX maXmuS. chief priest of the
Roman religion, and the deed was done. An
Caesar when | contemplate the depth of thy
cOnsummate knavery. cannot command words
with which to express my deep admiration
Think of it. think of G.. }. us high priest
Surely he was a great mal-of great resources
but far greater cheek. 1t was wise move or
his part for as high priest he was exempt iron
debt The Roman Shylocks were beaten ant
Julius was saved the horrible necessity of fleeing
10 some Roman Canada.
He was next made lr;ptOr. and with the prF
torship he was assigned the province of Spain
from which to squeeze an income. 1t is hardl
necessary to affirm that he filled the Office ad
mirably, in fact, with the noble julius TO run Tn
compress it seems supernatural to me that Spa
Il nirnf 70
enough to recuperate and commit the infamOu
deeds it perpetrated during the 18th and lot
centuries The term of pr;rtorship ended. it
said he fastened gladly back to Rome. VIII
gladly" Presumably because as his term of o.
flee waned. the squeezing process grew less an
less remunerative. Caius lOnged for create
returns for his labors. and Rome was about tn
only place that could satisfy him: hence II
gladneSS over his return. He soon had the OF
portunity for he was next made consul; and
be consul was to be the Croker of Roman Tan
snanysm. To the language of the stree
julie AS consul, mad things pretty nearly all n
own way: that he worked it for all it was wort
goes without saying. He never forgot that |
possessed blue blood and that he was far abO'
the canaille in whose veins there flowed only
poor quality of common red fluid, so to make
distinction he departed from free for all I
public and inaugurated a divine-right- t-kln
empire 1t is impossible to say what the endli
of his empire would have been had the arm
the assassin spared him; whether. like Nero /
fore him, he would have iddled while Ron
went under. or whether he might have becoI
conscience stricken at last and made an Idle
ruler is a matter of conjecture. My opino
based upon what he did before his death. is tn
he would have departed somewhat from the ts
ties of his predecessor, and played upon two I
dies instead of one while Rome went down WI
A crash. Vale julie.