Show THE THI OP or THE GR GRACCHI I r I. I Biographical l g Note THE destinies of mankind seem to be governed by a set of implacable laws What men sometimes choose to call the vicissitudes of fortune or the results of chance are not such at all They are simply the he visible effects the results in inthe inthe inthe the working out of pf some principle or rule which at all times is inviolable We know that the development of the lWe individual is predicated on certain laws which can never be broken with im im- When we get in the way of the unchangeable workings of nature nature we shall certainly he be taken down more or less violently We can not escape the consequences of a broken law As with the individual so it is with with the the na na- tion The more we study the causes and effects of the events which have shaped the worlds world's history th the more we can see that all nations and peoples that have ever risen to eminence or power have done so by following certain never varying never varying lines and the speedy destruction of those same nations has always always' been brought about through the violation of the same n never changing laws The history of the Roman people furnishes an example of the terrible punishment which the Creator metes but out t to these who persist in defying His will Indeed it requires no special attention on the part of the Supreme Being for a result must always follow a cause A single glance at the record of events which preceded the martyrdom of the Gracchi will convince any anyone one that the Roman nation fully merited its doom I o Tiberius Gracchus and Caius Gracchus I were born during the period which brought the climax clima i in the development nt r of the Roman nation The father of J these illustrious men was T. T Sempronius Gra Gracchus chus He was o one e of Romes Rome's foremost foremost foremost fore fore- most citizens having won for himself much honor in the administration of th the highest offices in the state and having i h made Jade himself famous by his display of bravery in the campaigns against Romes Rome's enemies But he merited greater greate if credit through a singularly virtuous life t The mother of Tiberius and Caius was Cornelia a daughter of the great Scipio rte 1 and any man who c could uld boast of such a mother would indeed be a d dullard if he i did dd I not h ac achieve some greatness j i Althou Although h these boys had inherited greatness and although their title to I F Idl i I nobility was revealed in every line of j 1 1 their being their already happy disposition disposition tion was ripened into great ability by bythe bythe bythe the best education that the times could afford So when they attained the age of manhood we we find th them than m the type and perfection of human development in physical ability in morals in in intellect in disposition and in ideals A fitting proof that they were considered the flowers of the Roman youth is found in inthe inthe t the fact that Tiberius was admitted to the College of Augurs at the age of nineteen certainly because of oi his vir vir- tues J It t. t is related that the proudest t tRoman Roman of them all Claudius offered Tiberius the hand of his daughter f fin in in marriage The of the girl had objected object II Unless U nl ss II she said Itis It Itis is Tiberius for sh she thought her daughter daught daugh daugh- t ter r too young to be married The Gracchi did not seek to enter public life They rather shrank from the prospects o of unrequited labor which an honest an-honest honest career en entailed But so deplorable deplorable deplorable de de- had the condition of affairs in Rome become that outraged justice justic and s suffering g humanity y seemed to c call lII in 1 i iI mournful tones tones' for some some one to espouse espouser espouse r their cause The Gracchi seemed decreed decreed det de de- t creed by fate to undertake the unthankful t ful task I 10 11 i II d dUp II The TI Reforms Up to this time the history of of the theRoman theRoman Roman people has been mainly a narration narration narration narra narra- t tion of the struggles of the Plebeians l' l to secure their proper place in the government and a share of its blessings then began the work of rearing those institutions which made the Roman state the wonder onder of its li time e and an object of admiration in all ages In Inconsequence Inconsequence cons consequence quence of their adm admirable civil and military institutions we find them advancing from conquest to conquest till there remained no power in the l known world I that dared to raise its it's ei ensign ign against the Roman name and although the conduct of the Romans was far from according with justice and right the energy of their m measures must command our applause Heretofore there had b been en comparative tranquility at home Now the scene changes Foreign wars become few and far between between be be between tween while internal commotions commotions' succeed succeed succeed suc suc- one another in quick succession Liberty is lost and anarchy brings forth despotism 4 In Ih In fact I the condition of affairs in iri the empire at this time was such that liberty could not possibly exist There was a arich arich arich rich class of nobles immensely rich and tIld another class those who had the power of bestowing all ail the offices offices' who were beg beggarly arly poor Unless these conditions f could be changed th the constitution must fall That class of sturdy Romans who would not endure the kingly tyrant but rather chose to establish a form of government under which all might become equal had haq now now degenerated I into a c corporation of of office seekers on OI on the theon on one one h hand hd and ahda a a band band of at nien mendicants ints on on ri lie the j other r I Instead H of of those sturdy patriots to to whom a public office was a trust of we now finda find finda a corrupt oligarchy who would sell their own souls for lust and and- lucre On the theother theother other hand the frugal independent yeomanry yeomanry yeomanry yeo yeo- manry which had formed the pride and the strength of Rome was was' greatly diminished diminished diminished di di- and at the same time debased and corrupted Roman citizens were continually continually con con- increasing by freedmen and franchises while the number of property prop prop- property erty holders was decreasing If the the- original Romans ever had anything they could call their own it was now all changed since the Punic Wars The 3 poor peasants engaged in distant service service j were ere kept away ay for years duri during which 1 1 time may be the helpless families were crowded off their farms 1 ij Some poor farmers were located nears ear large land owners During times of distress dis dis- i 1 tress cau caused Ed by sickness or disaster or orwar if h war in which their farms would be ravaged l aged and their cattle driven off they were to borrow money from the rich rich- men they were charged an rate of interest for tl the payment of j which they gave a mort mortgage age Likely the son was serving ng a term in the army and in case the father took sick laborers laborers' would have to be hired At last he was reduced to such straits that he lie was was was' compelled to give up his farm When the property shat sharks ks got the upper hand hand of affairs the change wen went t from bad to to worse Again after men had sel served seized in foreign wars and learned to tb like the life life of a for there was often much luxury and licen licentiousness connected with it they were little inclined to settle settle down to honest labor without some some encouragement So many preferred to togo togo go to the capital there to lounge around steeping themselves in all kinds of debauchery heaping additional misery o on the helpless class and earning some little littI by becoming tools for unprincipled dem demagogues and d political politic ll schemers i It It ft is atrue a a true true saying saying sayin that Satan finds fInds' finds some mischief for for idle hands to da do do With a a. m mob b of of idle men around round the capital city the whole nation wi will soon become corrupted It matters not if the people are or h honest nest the very fact that vast numbers are idle and depend upon others for a living alone will il dull the edge of honor in a aery avery avery very ery short time The tern temptations t to take advantage e of others will soon become become become be be- come commonplace matters and men will be lured into abominable crimes A states state's 5 only safeguard is to ke keep p ph h her r affairs so o well managed that all the people can find some encouraging honest hollest way to earn arn a livelihood It is necessary for human beings to be active but if the energy be be not properly di directed directed directed di- di this result will follow either the activity will seek improper channels which in th the end will bring irretrievable ruin uin or 01 els else the vice of idleness will become as a spreading cancer eating its way way into the vitals of the nation But Bur terrible as the condition just stated must have been there was still l another even more deplorable The method of getting property by the oppression oppression op op- pr of ot the pr provinces vinces has been mentioned The nobles had also been Deen t large purchasers of land in the sales of public domain During the period of Conquest conquest vast tracts of territory were at once once nce added to that already controlled by y the government As this land was mostly unassigned it was occupied by byich byrich byrich rich ich men for which they may have paid a trifling rent to the state The nian ian law provided that provided that no man should x occupy more than five hundred x of f land This law was completely evaded Even if men had complied with the other and had provision em emr loyed some free men instead of so many hany slaves the evil had been less put but put the victories of the Roman armies had lad filled the trie ma markets with slaves and these hese unfortunates were were 50 so cheap that the le rich landholders could q d better e ter aff afford d r to purchase large num numbers b rs of f tl them their i keep them in dungeons compel them t to work with fetters fetters- fetterson on on their limbs limos with little or n no c care re or food until they actually dropped dead in their tracks and were replaced by new slaves slaves all all this was f far r cheaper than to pay a freedman freedman freedman freed- freed man a small wage Now these slaves were not 1 like ke negroes inferior men a athey they were S Spaniards many of whom were i intelligent beings abl able to cope with the Romans Roman in any field but the f fortunes of war ar had pla placed ed them under the Roman ROmal y yoke ke With such labor so cheap hea l large rge land holders were not inclined inclined to t to pa pay pay free men to do the work i 1 In former days of the republic the I fa farmers ers were able to ma make make- e. e exi exist existence Tn e epo po possible sibe by raising those things thing which were needed to supply y the home hom m market ll Now the greater part of Italy was used used for cattle raising and avid by applying slave slave labor in distant provinces the capital capitalists were able to flood the markets with produce at such a a price that the few farmers who still held their land could not possibly bly keep up at that rate I It t is easy to understand then just why the conditions were ripe lipe for an up upheaval I a revolution in fact one that must dislodge every pillar that h had d supported supported supported sup sup- ported th the E liberty of the Roman com com- We can hardly imagine the awful state of affairs The government government government govern govern- r ment was controlled by men of glaring r corruption Every avenue of legitimate business closed to all b but t the few rich s. s corporations was thus placed f far r be beyond yond the reach of the masses All the Ya large cities were crowded with abused y hungry people who further thwarted the aims of justice by accepting paltry bribes Slaves poor men women freedmen all were considered no better than dogs fit to be scourged and tramp trampled d b beneath neath th the fe feet f of of power power No w wonder Tiberius Gr Gracchus chu exclaimed f I. I in piercing f ri to tones The The T wild rl bre beasts of f p s 1 i Italy have their caves to retire to Buti But i the brave brav men en who spill their blood blood in in in 6 her cause have nothing left but air and andt t light Without homes they wander from place to place with their wives and children The soldiers soldiers sol sol- r diers fight to advance the luxury and wealth of the great and they are called m masters of th the world while they have j not ot a clod of earth in their possession f. f The affairs of Rome at that time v were ere very much like the condition in the world today If we have the power to remedy the evils which threaten our in institutions institutions institutions in- in certainly the Romans could r have done it But the Roman oligarchy would not consider the conditions nor northe northe the causes Had the laws been obeyed there had been no need to tell g the story or of of the tragic end of ther the r Gracchi It was not a difficult matter r to to right those cond conditions for the Roman state had abundant resources But lust s and passion tor for luxury had made the V.- V. Romans bl blind In d to t their h own destiny 1 There are diseases i in n the state as there are diseases in the human system which if taken at the opportune time may be arrested and cured but if allowed to go on neglected the golden f opportunity is lost Rome when she sheI I sacrificed her most noble patriots turned i her back on hE her own salvation and conIL consigned consigned con con- sig signed ed her people to to an irrevocable IL do doom m. m Tiberius Gracchus did dip little more than to r represent present the law His proposals were even milder than I M that Although the state had a perfect right ight to eject those who occupied a p part rt of public domain he proposed to pay t I each occupant a mo moderate d erate sum of money to release his title for possession possession posses- posses If I f sion often amounts to o ownership But f the greedy corporations would not conr consent consent con- con r sent ent to give up the land Octavius was induced induce to block the proceeding proceed proceed- ing by the use of a Tribunes Tribune's terrible veto eto Tiberius became impatient and devised a n new w bill billmore more sweeping more mox sweeping sW and severe than the first Still Octavi Octavius s sh h held ld out so Tiberius ha hal had the people the Tribune Tribune- and the bill depose bi bill l was was was' passed In deposing Tiberius betrayed to the people a a defect they had had nev never r. r known at least least- used i i. i e. e that th the people might instantly depose a Tribune and thus over turn law the constitution and all precedent The fickle crowd was not long in deserting ng him H He knew that he must secure his re election in order to be secure from violence When the appointed time came h he he could not rise rise to to the force for fox the occa occasion occasion occa sion and rather than command the the affairs with dictatorial strength I he al allowed allowed al- al lowed himself to become a prey to th the mob It certainly seems that it would have been wise to buy back the public l land ev even n if the treasury had he been n depleted depleted depleted- for those who had occupied the land ford for so long were not patriotic enough t tali to give it up all at once Mu Much h opposition might have been avoided and a boon conferred on the suffering poor by par 1 par 1 ceIling out the land to them It would have been infinitely wiser that that this b be bedone done than that grain should be practically practically |