The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-08-19
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES


THE late Herbert Spencer Hadley was stall
wart progressive Republican, who served ably
as public prosecutor and as Governor Of Mis-
souri,. He was warm friend Of Theodore Roose-
welt the elder, and was even mentioned as a
potential progressive Republican candidate for
the presidency of the United States He led
the unsuccessful attempt to nominate Theodore
Roosevelt for the presidency at the Republican
National Convention in 1872 He later retired
to academic life, served for time as professor
of law at the University of Colorado, and, at the
time of his death was Chancellor OF Washing
ton University, ST. Louis.
The best known product Of his scholarly
wears was a much discussed little book on Rome
and the World Today" which was published
some 10 years ago. He tells us that his interest
in comparing Rome and the twentieth century
was aroused by a speech of Theodore Roosevelt
in 1903 But it seems to have been the Russian
Revolution which stirred him to authorship in
this field. AS he tells us in very shaKy pas
sage on Page 298 of his book
THE fall of Rome was not a fall at all. 1T
was the result of a social political and economic
breakdown such as we have witnessed IN our
own time in Russia And it is an interesting
coincidence that as Socialism caused or largely
helped to cause the breakdown OF civilization In
the largest empire of modern times, SO Socialism
largely contributed to the breakdown of civilza-
ton in the greatest empire of the ancient world.
NTOw the Republicans have seized upon this
IN book in a weird effort to discredlt the
Roosevelt Administration. An attractive edition
has emerged in new red, white and blue jack
et But there seems to be some confusion IN
the Republican camp as to just which Roman
emperor President Roosevelt really represents,
though there appears to be complete assurance
that the United States is bound to decline under
the Democrats as the Roman empire declined
under the Caesars.
The other day Washington reporter, writ
ing in the Saturday Evening Post, was inclined
to find that Mr. Roosevelt is a modern Diocle
tan because the latter tried to fix the prices
Of food products and tinkered with the cur
rency of Rome. But William Allen White seems
to have sneaking suspicion that Mr.. Roosevelt
is most truly comparable to Augustus
"The magnificent Augustus whom he (Mr.
Hadley) took in a sense for the hero of his story,
seems to have had much the same power which
we have given in the third decade of the
twentieth century to our President farm loans,
a fixed price for wheat, vast public works, col
onies for discharged soldiers, pensions, boun-
ties, doles relief the centering of authority in
the emperor-how familiar it all sounds!"
Already this excursion into hoaXey history
is proving a boomerang to the Republicans.
Augustus was one of the ablest of the early
Roman emperors and Diocetian of the later
Caesars. If one were looking to Rome for COM
parsons there could be no higher tribute to
Mr.. Roosevelt than to compare him to Au-
gustus or Diocletian Indeed, few Of his most
loyal friends, if they know anything about
Roman history, would be likely to contend
that he deserves such praise.
TT needs to be pointed out, however, that any
II iEa IOcrioc r. hotxro +ho
Empire and our day are likely to be highly mis-
leading. Roman civilization was based upon
primitive, agricultural, pre-capitalStic, and pre-
mechanical age. 1t resembles ours about as
closely as a Roman chariot represents a Rolls
Royce car or the village blacksmith'S shop and
the River Rouge plant of Henry Ford. In his
day Diocletian had to do his best to stimulate
agricultural production, while Mr.. Roosevelt has
had to deal with a surplus.
There is just one real and very broad anal
ogy which we may draw between ancient Rome
and modern America but it is one which the
Republicans have very conveniently ignored.
The Roman Empire was Quilted by political and
economic grafterS. The rich lodged their taxes.
The middle class was crushed out by the tax
burdens which fell upon them as the result.
The poor were degraded into a city rabble and
a SerVile peasantry. In time, the greed and
graft of the favored few brought about the total
collapse of Roman society. What have the Re-
publicans got to say about this? Does it re-
mind them of what happened between 1920 and
1882?
In his "Primitives and the Supernatural
Dutton, So, Lucien Levy-Bruhl gives us a very
interesting account of the role of religion and
its ritual among early peoples. David Riesman's
1.-The Story of Medicine in the Middle Ages"
Hoeber, So is the best introduction to this in
teresting subject in English and is a much
needed book. new edition of A. C. Flick's
Modern World History (Crofts 1919 brings
this extremely useful manual on the history of
modern civilization down to date.