The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1920-05-13
Over the Old Line Fence
BIZ SAM JORDAN.

selection about NIllCu III "1AtcS. ALI
mailing YOU clipping from the st.
Louis Globe Dcmotrat. 1t we'll ex-
presses my sentiments under present
conditions There are too many con-
Stunning and too few producing. l think
the article is one of the best things |
have seen in any newspaper. SO would
YOU please publish it in the Banner for
the benefit Of those who failed to see
it in the Globe democrat. 1t fits our
present conditions too good to PASS up"
The clipping rs sent in reads:
IT TOOK ROME THREE HUNDRED
YEARS TO PERISH.
If it took Rome :aU years to die. how |
long will it take this republic. going ut |
the rate we are now travelling:
There was Il day in the greatness of
Rome that to he Il Roman was greater |
than to he Il King" Rome walked fat
by conquest and lived by the sweat of
the brow of other people Romans in
that elder day wanted shorter hours
and bigger pay. Romans wanted to do
as little real work as was possible in
| order to get by. Roman statesmen eN
acted all that their subjects could ell
,lure. aud Roman protiteer$ exploited
the people until they were poor indeed.
| Roman courts forgot justice and hu-
mnnity: then Rome fell. and how great
was the fall.
Is our country repeating the tactics
of ancient Rome: Many countries have
grown great. only in time to wither. die
and decay. Will our country experience
the same end: Will history repeat it.
self in the face of all the knowledge
that we have gained in the last 1000
years:
! Perhaps human nature Is much the
same as it has always been. and if so
there can he but little doubt that the
history of the human race will repeat
itself 1t may be that as we fancy we
are getting ahead in civilization we are
only crawling backward. 1t may be
that we are uncOllSciO,Siy devouring
; ourselves and that the beasts snawing
at our vitals are the very things that
seem to add most to life.
Man was. without doubt. created. to
earn his living by work. yet as Il race
. We are. as time goes on. doing every
thing within human ingenuity to avoid
it. or to make Il living by the sweat
of the brow of the other fellow. 1t has
+ always been. and possible always will
he. that as we stop work We will stag
nate, and as We work and toll we will
wax fat and prosper. Then behold. just
as we are fat and prosperous. human
nature asserts herself and we try t.
get out Of work. and then our deStruc
'. ton has begun. Our wealth will bt
s.luantlere.l bt spoiled offspring and
:, reckless and riOtOuS living Ivy those VT
!, have bred. and the good name that w
= handed down to them has become !:
!, thing scorned.
n HISTORY OF FAMILY IS HISTORY OF
= TIE RACE.
The history of families has been :
continual repetition Of the history o
!. Rome. The history Of families must b
\. more or less the history Of races. AM
!, the history Of races must. to Il create
+, or less extent. make up the history .
r. nations.
i Rome. in days of greatness. above,
k wealth to rule. Wealth abused it
power just as it is abusing its lOwe
in our country to-day. The penalty viii
some day have to he paid. and the full
pound of flesh will he eXacted an
:. taken. Roman agriculture was forgot
- ten. Roman soil was allowed to fai
" Roman food began to 1wfntlle l'ec:tll;
d everybody wanted to live in Rom.
lie Those left on the farms were exploite
$. by the eXchangerS and prOtiteer'
le Roman wars began to Iail to bring l
E. food and Roman gold could not b
y eaten. Romans could not live by tOu1
n I,lnlentS. and games and pleasures. an
rs arenas where gladiators shed thei
rs blood to delight an indolent and morbi
Is and decssdent race. These things coul
not feed the people and Rome fell.
IN Our country 80 far as l can see
Il. travelling the same identical road. all
Ill 1t is only human nature driving I
IL along to the same end Rome reached.
Not many seasons since we though
that the world waS too we'll civilized
ever indulge in the pleasure al
NJ profit" Of Il great war. hut how sho
D. was our vision.
he The time has come in our cOuntl
tie when we are so rich and powerful TIL
a we think we are beyond the danger lin
se and this thought Is wherein the dam.
he lies. We are not to any degree abusi1
TX our power 80 far as other cOuntri
oo are concerned. but 50 far as our ov
on country Is concerned our very veal
Il and its abuse is our danger rather TIL
lis. our safety. The abuse Of the pow
,ck that wealth has attained h the found
he ton of our troubles ut this time.
Is long as wealth was used in fair I'll
v" and in legitimate purposes it WAS
blessing. hut when it Is used to expl'
the helpless. when it is used to Il
the more riches to the already Overri,
IgS when it is used to exploit labor. or
nat exploit the products of our soil. or
corrupt courts. OF to put corrupt III
i'm office. then we are reaching the d;
the that Rome reached when her decll
,rS. began. and If we mistake not mi,
-. changes must he wrought in our COZ
l. try to avoid the pitfalls that oil
- countries have run into. Maybe we {
stave off our impending trouble by !
islation. hut it looks thus far that
iii are not getting very for with it.
Ill CAN WE sTAvE OFF THE COMING
I'LL II DISASTER: