Daily camera. [volume] (Boulder, Colo.) 1891-1928, 1900-10-24

share Of the spoils fell to the senate and
senatorial families.
The senate was the permanent council
of state and was the real administrator
of the government The senate had
control of the treasury. conducted the
public policy, appointed from its own
ranks the governors OF provinces.
How the senatorial privileges affected
the management Of the provinces need
not be given in detail, suffice it to say
that the mobiles and great Commoners OF
Rome rapidly found themselves in pos
session of revenues which their fathers
could not have imagined in their dreams
and money in the stage of progress at
which Rome had arrived was convertible
into power.
The immense fortunes built up sys
tenn but little better than robbery in
which the partners were corrupt capital
lists and still more corrupt men of influ'
ence in the government. senators, etc.,
enabled those possessing them TO buy
out the smaller land owners IN Italy.
The grandsons OF the Yeomen who
held Hannibal and Pyrrhus at bay, sold
their FARMS and went away. The small
holdings merged rapidly into large es
tates, bought up by the rich. Every
where the small farmers were disappear.
ing and slaves were taking their place.
The conquest of the world had turned
the flower OF the defeated armies into
slaves.
The freemen, corresponding to our
middle class, the strength of Rome as
with US. were fast disappearing, some
emigrated, others drifted INTO Rome
with no property save their votes, TO be
come the clients of the millionaires and
sell themselves to the highest bidder.
With all his wealth there were only two
things which the Roman noble could buy
| political power and luxury, and in these
directions his whole resources were ex
pended. The elections. once pure, be
came matters of annual bargain between
himself and his supporters. The once
hardy, abstemious mode of living, de,
generated into grossness and sensuality
The high society of Rome itself became
a society of powerful animals, with enor.
nous appetite tor pleasure.
| Wealth poured in more and more, and
luxury grew more unbounded. Palaces
sprang up in the city, castles in the
country, villas by the sea side, parks. fish
ponds, game preserves, gardens and vast
retinues of servants. When natural
pleasures had been INDUCED in to safety,
pleasures which were against nature
were imported from the east.
Later, during the empire expansion by
conquest again commenced. AS con.
sequence there was a further concentra.
ton OF wealth. followed by increase of
sensuali,y among the rich and depravity
among the poor. Society in Rome, en-.
ervated as it was by vicious pleasures,
craved continually for new excitements.
Sensuali,y is near relation of cruelty
and the more savage the entertainments
the more delightful they were to the
pa,ricans who had lost the taste tor finer
enjoyments Combat, of wild beasts
were at first sufficient for them. but to
see men kill each other gave them a
keener delight The most promising of
the slaves imported were selected for
the arena, and wealthy Roman noble
would have his training school of gladi
ators, in which be took as much interest
as the multi millionaire of today does in
his racing stables.
Thus enervated and depraved, with
the legions scattered. keeping down re-
volt in distant provinces, it was an easy
matter for the Goths and VandaIs, bar
barians though they were and insignif.
cant in number, to sweep over Italy and
despoll its capital.
Rome tell a victim to its commercial
greed ana passion for conquest.
Let US now return to the two defni