The Lexington advertiser., 1933-08-10

der college direction. These freshmen
are on their own initiative and they get
some valuable experience. 1t frequently
happens that student is already in a
successful business when he graduates
at Antioch College.
1t is quite obvious that DR.. Morgan is
determined to prevent any Teapot Dome
investigating scandal follow his tenure
in office With so many congressional
inquiries in the past few years having
uncovered stories of sudden affluence
enjoyed by persons who have held posi-
tions of trust under the federal govern
ment the Ohio educator is taking no
chances.
1t is possible that DR.. Morgan took his
cue from a method followed by the Ro-
mans during the thirteenth century. At
ter several decades of corruption by pub
lie officers, the Romans adopted the city
managerial system. The city of Rome
and all cities still remaining in the de-
cayed empire or those loosely attached
sought this method of preventing Off
cial graft.
They chose a citizen of some foreign
city whose reputation had reached Rome
because of his outstanding business
ability. He must be a man of spotless
birth and of good personal reputation.
A combination of soldier and states
man were preferred when those attrib-
utes were obtainable. The Podesta, as
this manager was called. was required to
file a statement of his possessions when
he took the oath of office. An oath OF
LOYALTY was required of the citizens of a
citv when the Podesta was sworn into
office.
A fixed salary was agreed upon, and
this could be neither increased or de-
creased during his term of office. The
Podesta could have as many servants and
houses as his salary enabled him to re-
tain but he was allowed no expense ac-
count He was not allowed to own any
property in the city where he was en-
ploved. This prevented the desire for
personal gain This imported ruler
could not bring his wife, daughter or son
with him to his new place of employ
ment In fact he was not permitted to
bring any member of his immediate fam
ily or any one related to him. In other
words, he was stripped of any posslbll-
itv to set up a social lobby based on the
Influence of members of his family. 1t
was not possible to gain social prestige
or political power through the marriage
of his son or daughter to an influential
Roman.
It will be remembered that the Romans
observed a caste system held to rell-
giously. The Podesta was allowed to en-
ploy as many servants as he could al
ford from d lower caste, but he was not
allowed to entertain people of his own
class except in connection with his Of
ficial duties. He was not permitted to
attend social gatherings, neither was he
allowed to receive social callers.
When his term of office expired, he
was kept in the city until his books were
audited and every account settled; until
every claim against his regime was set
tied
The most famous of the Podestas was
Brancaleone, who appears to have held
office six years. He incurred tremen-
dous hostility because he would not al
low the Bishop of Rome to interfere with
secular affairs, and he also made war on
the gangsters of the time. He possibly
would have been killed by irate Romans
had he not, on assuming office, exacted,
as a part of the bargain, the delivery OF
hostages to his own city of Bologna. 10
redeem the hostages he had to be sent
safely home. Later the Romans, appre-
ciatinp his excellent regime, erected
monument to him.
In New York City society has been
organized claiming that its purpose is
for the protection of labor. This society
is trying to take a very active part IN
dealing with our handling of the Negro
1t will be remembered that this is the
same society that took such active IN
terest in the famous Scottsboro case re-
Gently when nine negroes were sentenced
to be hanged for criminally assaultlng
two white girls. This case was carried
through the United States Supreme
Court where it was finally reversed and
returned to Scottsboro for a new trial
This society usually sends a lawyer from
New York to defend the accused, and this
lawyer makes it part of his business to
stir up a great howl about persecution
This lawyer advertises the case and him.
self by having the case eXaggeratedly
published in all nationally known papers
possible. This method did not work so
we'll at a recent trial when a negro was
to be tried in Alabama for numbering a
white girl. Two New York lawyers APP
peared in court with the intention of
making this case famous nationally, but
their intentions were cut short by the
appearance of several hundred irate Ala
bama farmers who were determined to
stand no more of their methods. 1t was
with difficulty that these lawyers We're
saved from the fate of an angry mob
The lawyers claimed that they were EN-.
ployed by the mother of the defendant
and produced papers to this effect. The
mother claimed in open court that she
knew nothing of their employment, anc
the accused negro declared that he did
not want them to represent him in court