The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-03-22
The Story of Democracy : ::. S:. :: .:... .'
O. he Ruins Of Rome's Republic Line
OF Mighty Emperors Arose
CHAPTER Is

re latin word, Caesar. was .
Nickname and 1t meant ~the hairy
enc II must have applied to
one of CAius julius ancestors. for
tn hero Of the Ides Of March.
judeinx by his statues. did not
have = superf1uous hair on his
head-
All the same, once he had be
came the most important man
N Rome, he gained 50 greatly in
stature that for almost 1000 years
after his death, the heads Of the
German and Russian nations were
known ~ = kaiser or a car.
We usually say that Caesar In
tended TO make himself the EN-
pcror uf Rome, but we forget that
IN inperstor In the eyes Of the
Romans at the beginning Of our
err was something quite differ
eat.
In ancient Rome. an imperator
: vpas the title by which the Roman
legionaries greeted their COM
!, nander-in-chief when he returned
from Z victorious campaign. After
wards It became dignity which
!. the Roman senate had the right to
bestow upon = particularly sue
cessfal general. the highest honor
n the state.
During the days Of Augustus
1.-THE adopted son of Caesar). when
al the power was finally united in
: the banda Of singlesman. the i'm
perator began to be regarded not
merely ~ the head Of the army
but also n the head Of the civil
government and thereafter he ac-
CURED all sorts Of other titles.
such ~ princeps first citizen of
/. the stated and pontifex maximus
! (as head Of the established re-
hgion Il Rome) or augustus 1.-THE
illustrious or the sublime).
; An this was Of course utterly
um-Roman II we think Of the Rome |
~ TIE simple days Of Cincinnatus,
VIXEN people considered that being
= plain Roman Citizen was the
highest honor to which any man
could asplre.
But during the many centuries
Of foreign conquests when the
Romans had come into contact
with the aristocracies and tryan-
nies Of Asia, they had lost most
Of their former pride in the liberty
and freedom Of the individual and
had been rather impressed by the
way In which these foreign die
tators could get things done,
whereas In their own country,
with its endlessiy celebrating
senate, It was often completely
impossible to pass even the sim
plest OF laws and regulations.
All this again sounds very IA
Jniiiar TO US for the same process
has been going on right under our
noses these last 20 years and
has carried as TO the point when
soon America, as the hast bulwark
Of democracy, may have to fight
for its life II II does not want to |
submit to the win Of q foreign
dictator.
And even now, with the sad ex-
ample Of Europe warning US to
Itick to our own tried and trusted
system of democracy, there are q
large. number OF peo- ,
pie In our own land who. like the
Romans Of Caesars day. will tell I
you. well. after all. there Ia some- I
thing In this dictator stuff. The {
trains run on time" 4
They forget that the trains In !
sur own country also run ON time, I
but with infinitely less fuss and !
circumstance than they do In the {
dictatorIai lAnds. But they win |
enly begin to remember this after {
they have had = couple Of years
u ose-man rule and then II will
- to- late, for then they won't
even BE allowed to ride on that !
train unless by special permission {
u some absurd little fellow In
high leather boots and an old
trench coat. ,
Nevertheless, ancient Rome can {
teach us . great deal about the
Possibilities Of establishing and
maintaining true form of de-
mocracy among q people who
have Get out to conquer the world.
Al long ~ Rome had been q
M nlqfah rlfv A., u,hirh fha nearle