Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-25
Ancient Police Grafters, Prehis-
t0ric 7hieUing Politicians and
All Sorts of ''7rusts" and
Dishonest M0n0p0Iies
BY Francis Rolt-Wheeler, Ph.D
BY Francis Rolt-Wheeler, Ph.D.

tn Ut down graft? One might almost we'll
dertake to put AN end to hunger or to legislate
against love! AS far back as history goes the
itching palm is to be found. The divorce case, with
its big fees the undertakers trust that fattens
the needs of the poor; the necessity of regulating
saloons and the undertaking commission
much part Of the life Of five thousand years ago
they are OF to-day.
Just as excavations in the ruins of Pompeii which
was overwhelmed by an eruption from Mount Vesu-
vlus, have disclosed the bodies Of men and women
engaged in their work and play they were when
the volcano belched forth destruction, recent
cavations from Babylon and Egypt. tell the inside
story Of those great ancient civilizations. Very
familiar the stories they tell There Is not much
difference between the divorce problem in Lagash
In the year 3100 B. c. and in Reno. New. in the
1915 A. D. AS for the account of the commission
which went up the Nile to put stop to the misap
preparation of taxes and which lined its own pockets
by proclaming the innocence Of every corrupt official
at much proclamation-it reads like the front
page OF modern daily newspaper Yet that was over
three thousand years
There many jokes in the funny papers to-day
about deals between the doctor, the undertaken and
the minister Perhaps the fact that TINS is treated
ilzation, for 1t existed in deadly earnest both IN
Babylon and Egypt. Once got into the hands
of doctor. he could count on having to pay the
limit until the day OF his death and just as soon as
he was dead the doctor would send word secretly to
the undertaken to the amount OF expense the fam
lily could stand. Then the undertaken and the temple
priest would get together and charge the rea
tive so heavily for the funeral that in many cases
he could not pay and sold in slavery to the tenn.
Pile. BY that neat piece Of jobbery, the temples Sc.
cured great deal Of slave labor for nothing.
Like most proverbs. the saying that there Is
nothing under the sun" is untrue but the old
does act in part a brake against believing that
the faults we'll the virtues Of modern civilisa.
ton modern. The hurrah that has been raised
the action of the Car In closing the vodka shops
during the European is not justified because of
the originality OF the action: the Spartans did the
same and there were vast Mohammedan armies In
which not single soldier had ever tasted liquor
Even to-day, when reform administration sue.
ceeds in regulating the hours OF saloon closing when
1, supposedly puts end to private rooms and
ladies entrances" 1t pats itself the back and
assumes great deal of credit for progressive
Yet, a matter OF record. FIVE thousand years
ego king called Ur1lkagna did exactly the
thing. He went far to decree that any religious
woman who found entering beer shop to
Re put death Indeed, Urukagina went to the root
Of the matter and declared that religious
who owned the property Of beer shop should be
put 10 death AS there certain religious corpora
tons IN America which depend for their dividends
TIE prohts from the saloons and dubious resorts
they oNn-there plenty such cases record
within the last ten years-Urukaginas edicts would
reach far nowadays and hit number Of pious people
hard