The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-10-02
SIGNS OF TODAY
Are We Falling into the Ways
of Ancient Rome?

In tho decadent days of Rome, whe
imperialism having stcalthily undo
mined tho liberties of tho populac'
was confronted with tho problem {
automatically avertiDg tho mob,
was ascertained by ill-gottcn powc
that to keep revolution quiescent 1t wa
only necessary to keep its stomac
reasonably full.
They were philosophers, those rot
ten Romans, and the same philOsoph
namely, that Of the stomach-hold
good in any age, in any elmo. Whel
all is said, the varied problems o
human existence resolve themselve
INTO the vulgar matter of physical sub
sistcncc.
And 80, having stolen tho matcria
substance along with tho politica
rights Of the plcbs, the patrician class
organized their politics and thoir pred
atory systom of political economy on
a frec-soup basis, bunting the patriotic
scnsibilitios and insurrcctionary pro.
clivities of the great mass by judi.
cious distribution of maCaroni and
thick dish water, with an occasional
horn OF bad wine thrown in for a paci-
ficator, when some of the more OBJ
streporous bcefers aspircd to humming-
birds tongue and African snail. This,
together with the free circus and a
handout Of small coin upon important
anniversaries, sutlccd to koop the emp
ty-headcd majority in tolcrable sub
lection while the earth was being ap-
propriated from under their feet, and
where gift diplomacy foil short, the
husky arms of tho imperial legions
were quito sufficient. By.this simple
and direct policy the plutocracy of an
cicnt Rome foisted Julius Caesar
upon the body polite, and other less
reputable Caesars, while, for them
selves they made life one long cpicu-
rean feast, intersperscd with golden
chariot aids to digestion and to other
aids unfit for modern publication and
Henry Wattorson.
1t worked all right while it lasted,
and long subsequently furnished one
Glbbon mass of interesting data for
all historical warning to tho Twentieth
century.
But what we started to ask was,
Has it come to this in American poll
tics, and will it come to this in Amcri-
can political economy? The bizarre
case of Devery is fresh before us-and
Devery was elected. The thing that
elected him was his adoption of the
Roman campaign method, nothing
more nor less. If Dcvcry knowns not
classic Rome, he knows the dago and
the New York plobs generally, and
knows their stomachs are lean and
their thirst keen. Straightway this
philosopher politician ordered beef
and shccp and swine to be hccatombcd
to appoasc the cravings of tho inner
man, with rivers of lager TO drown 1t
down, and when his unsophisticatcd
enemies laughed him to scorn, ordered
moro beef and sheep and swine and
beer. He drew no line on sex or age
or previous condition of scrvitude. 1t
was free-for-all iill-up, and out of the
ashes Of the barbecue and the sour
drcgs of tho empty kegs, behold the
rcinstatcd and radiant Boss Bill
Dcvcry, with the nice, clean public Mt
his mercy.
OF course, this is disreputablc ILL
divldual case, from which nothing bet
ter was expected; but what is to be
said of the adoption of the Roman
method of campaign by great pollti-
Cal organization in IL great American
city3 In Chicago the other day the
Cook County Republicans formally
opened their campaign in Sans Souci
park with FREQ refreshments and uni
vcrsal gift distributions, and wo are
informed by the local press that TO-
600 women and children packed the
inclosure like cattle out at the stock.
yards, and pushed and fought like so
many bovines to got at the provisions
tossed out to them. TO make the de-
grading scramble worse, So 900 pennies
were given away, and we are compla.
Gently assured by ono of The Rcpubli-
can organs of the Windy City that ca
number of persons were injured, but
none seriously" IN, same paper says
the dimensions of tho motley crowd
"led tho gatekcepcrs to fear that all
Chicago was surging down upon them
at once"
Has it come to this in America? we
repeat. Upon sober second thought
we sec the superhuousness Of The qucs-
ton. Exlsting conditions, brought
about by Republican policies, have un-
donbtcdly reached the froe-soup stage,
and the shocking exhibition in the
Chicago park is only tho logical
sequence. 1t has begun now, and
where will it end?
But, really, isn't this a sad commen.
tary on the "unexampled prosperity D
of complete Republican suprcmacy3-
Atlanta Constitution.
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