The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1899-12-22
Extracts from Frouds's Cesar. .

and 70 the English student ABOVE al
others, the conversion Of the Roman
republic into q military empire COM
msnds q peculiar interest
Notwithstanding many differences
the English and the Romans resemble
one another. The early Romans pos
sessed the faculty Of self-government
beyond any people Of whom we have
historical knowledge, with the one ex-
ception Of ourselves. In virtue Of their
temporal freedom, they became ne
most powerful nation in the known
world; and their liberties persisted
only when Rome became the mistress
Of conquered races, to whom she was
unable or unwilling to exend her priv
ileges.
If England was similarly supreme, if
all rival powers were collapsed by her
or laid at her feet, the imperial tend
encies, which are as strongly marked
In US as our love Of liberty, might lead
US over the same course TO the same
end. If there be one lesson which
history clearly teaches, it is this, that
free nations cannot govern subject
provinces. II they are unable or IN
willing to admit their dependencies to
share their own constitution, the con-
stitution itself will fall in peices from
mere incompetence for its duties.
For these reasons, the fall Of the
Roman republic is exceptionally in
structive to Us. a constitutional gov
eminent the most enduring and the
most powerful that ever existed was
put on its trial, and found wanting.
We see it in its growth; We see the
causes that undermined its strength.
We see attempts to check the growing
mischief fail, and We see why they
failed. And We see, finally, when moth
ing seemed so likely as complete dissO-
luton, the whole system changed by a
violent operation, and the dying pa
TENTS life protracted for further cen
turtles Of power and usefulness.
With such viYidness, with such trans
parent clesrness, the age stands before
Us, Of Cato and Pompey, Of Cicero and
Julius Caesar, the more distinctly be-
cause it was an age in 50 many ways
the counterpart Of our own, the bios
soming period Of the old civilization,
when the intellect was trained to the
highest point to which it could reach,
and on the great subjects Of human
interest, on morals and politics, on
poetry and art, even on religion itself
and the speculative problems Of life,
men thought as we think, doubted
where we doubt, argued as we argue,
aspired and struggled after the same
objects.
1t Was an age Of material progress
and material civilization, an age of
civil liberty and intellectual culture,
an age Of pamphlets and epiZrams, Of
salons and dinner parties, of senator
ial msjorities and electoral corruption.
The highest offices Of state were open
in theory to the meanest citizen; they
were confined, in fact, to those who
had the longest purses, and the most
ready use Of the tongue on popular
platforms. Distinctions Of birth had
been exchanged for those Of wealth.
The struggles between plebeans and
partrieians for equality OF privilege
we're over, and a new division had been
formed between the party Of property
and party who desired a change in
the structure Of society. The free
cultiVators were disappearing from
the soil. Italy was being absorbed
into vast estates, held By a few favored
families and cultivated By slaves, while
the old agricultural population was
driven of the land, and was crowded
into towns.
The rich we're extravagant, for life
had ceased to have practical interest,
except for its material pleasures; the
| occupation OF the higher classes was to
obtain money without labor, and to
spend it in idle enjoyment. Patriot
ism survived on the lips, but patriot
ism meant the ascendency OF the party
which would maintain the existing
order Of things, or would overthrow il
for more equal distribution Of the
good things which alone we're valued.
Religion, once the foundation OF the
laws and rule Of personal conduct, had
subsidized into opinion The educated,
in their hearts, disbeIieTed il. Tenn
pies we're still built with increasing
splendOr; the established forms were
sorupulosly observed Public men
spoke conventionaIly Of Providence,
that they might throw on their Oppo-
nents the odium Of impiety; but Of
genuine belief that life had any seri-
Gus meaning there was none remaining