Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-10-28
ITS GROWTH WAS SLOW.
At Last 1. Powered Into System Like Our
own Based on tho brotherhood of Man
How a Bravo and Patriotic People
wrested From Kings and Mobiles tho
Reins of Government and at Las. Won
Their Freedom.
(Raleigh News and onserver +,

Deheld Croesus in all his glory. sur
rounded by his court of oriental splen-
doris and luxury, with boundless treas
ures, absolute power, and every pleas
ure MS royal heart could wish, 1t is
SAID that he asked the old philosopher
IL he did not consider him truly n for
tunate and happy man. king of
Lydia" replied. the angel law giver
'as God has given the Greeks a. mod
crate proportion of other things. so
likewise he has favored them with
democratic spirit, and liberal kind
OF knowledge which has no taste for the
splendors of royalty"
This was the keynote to the Gre
clan theory of government struck by
the masters hand. Feeble and discor-
dant al first, 1t grew in volume and
melody until the whole land of Greece
| from shore to shore rang with the mu-
sic of human liberty. and still II was
waited on over the seas and across the
centuries, until to-day it awakens
responsive chord in the breast OF every
! true patriot.
The Grecian theory of government was
intensely and essentially democratic,
but their ideal was only reached by a
process of evolution. they having gone
| through all the successive stages of
monarchy, oligarchy, and aristocracy.
with even a touch of anarchy, before
| they enjoyed the blessings of pure de-
moCracy.
| One of the fundamental principles of
| Democracy is the right of local self
government. This the Greeks exercised
| from the earliest times. Greece was
composed of many States and colonies
| but each was considered politically in
dependent of the others, with its own
! laws and government. Still they had
in common their language and their
religion. and in the presence of COM
mon danger they were one people, with
one patriotic purpose.
or all the various forms of govern
ment adopted by the different States,
that of Attica with Athens as it's head
came nearer embodying the true Gre
clan ideal 1t is proper, therefore, in the
consideration Of this subject to attend
more particularly to the policy of the
AthenianS and the genius of their in
situations.
From remote times the people of At
| tica had been ruled by kings with
practically absolute power, and with
out written laws. The result of this
condition of affairs has been the same
| in every age, namely. oppression and
| degradation of the great body OF the
| people. But the Greeks were brave
| people, and the result was n constant
| warfare between the King and mobiles
on one side and the people on the
! other.
First the title of king was abolished
and that Of archon was substituted in
| it's place. but the Office remained: next
the term of the archon was limited to
| ten years. but the privilege rested
| solely in the family of the last king;
then the exclusive privilege of the fam
| lily of the last king was abolished and
any person of noble birth could be
| chosen archon; thirty-one years later
the term of the archon was reduced to
| one year. and the power distributed
among nine persons-one chief archon
and eight associates. OF these nine
archons one presided. and might be
called chief executive; one had charge
of the religion, which was so inter-
woven with the customs and life of the
people that we might call him secre-
tary of the interior; a third had charge
of the army and might we'll be called
secretary of war. The other six were
called legislators, and were so to speak.
primitive senate.
In this distribution of power we see
one of their fundamental conceptions
of Democratic government, a concep-
ton which has been so beautifully
ampiiied in our enlightened day and
our own favored land.
Still there were no written laws or
constitution, and no right given the
common people to vote or hold office. |
and oppression continued. The groans
of the people changed to murmurs.
which in turn rose to the clamors OF
insurrection and rebellion. The rul-
ing classes were overbearing and OPP
pressive. corrupted by wealth and |
luxury and careless OF the rights of |
the people. but they were wise In
their day and generation. they knew |
the temper of the people. and they |
knew some relief must be speedily |
administered, or else the very foun- |
dations of all their wealth. power and |
greatness would be broken up In |
archon and gave him full authority TO |
make and enforce such a written con- /
stitution and code of laws as he might |
deem proper. A wiser choice could not |
have been made. BY heredity he was |
noble and knew the weaknesses of |
his class; but he was poor and had |
been forced to mingle with men as a |
merchant to earn his livelihood. He |
therefore knew the sufferings and |
needs and capacities of the common
people.
He at once divided the people into |
four classes, with wealth as a basis. |
The first only could hold the archon-
ship and high Offices; the second and
third. inferior offices; while the fourth. |
winch comprised the great body of the |
common people, could not hold Offices. |
but ne gave to them the sacred right
Of voting
Thus we see how this brave and
patriotic people kept chopping at the |
trunk OF that royal prerogative whose |
branches overshadowed with baleful |
influence the whole land. until 1t gave
10y ana mea sured its length upon the |
eartn' and let stream into that beauti- |
iuI iand the gladstone light of liberty. |
mere were other grievances which |
noion redressed. rather summarily il |
Is true; put the conditions were urg- |
eRt: ne had a theory that the slavery
IL n @