Best to pin all the blame on the absent Aspasia, than to point out the complicity of the Assembly and Council, people we would have to work with to reform Athens.
“Now, as I was saying. In times of crisis, extreme measures are often needed. So, as of this moment, and until further notice, the Assembly of Athens is disbanded!”
That was the signal for the soldiers to usher everyone out.
One benefit of the slaves and the women being seated closest to the front, was that they would exit last, giving us a chance to corral some for further conversation.
Pericles was right, we either had to consolidate our control or, eventually, abandon the city. He was also right that we couldn’t control the city long with 200 lightly armed, lightly trained troops. But, we probably could with 2000, lightly armed, lightly trained troops. At least long enough to convert them into lightly armed, well trained troops.
So, we stopped as many ex-slaves and women as we could and asked if they were looking for employment in the world’s first police force.
Chapter 19
Apparently, matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed. They CAN be converted into one another. The conversion is that you get a lot of energy from very little matter. The formula is E=MC2 (Energy=Mass X The speed of light2).
Book of Questionable Facts - 922
With the streets still relatively quiet, taking a contingent of soldiers, along with Socrates and Pericles, Melite, and Isodemos, I started to climb to the Acropolis.
“Where are we going?” Asked Pericles.
“To the Acropolis.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to need the money from the treasury.”
“But, that’s not all our money. Much of that money belongs to the Delian League!”
“It’s all kept nice and separate, isn’t it?”
“Certainly! We maintain careful and separate records of the expenditures for the City and the League!”
“Excellent! We will too! But for now, the Great God Einstein will probably require it all. So the careful records will just say: Transferred to the Great God Einstein.”
Pericles sighed, but he knew there was no point arguing. I liked that about him.
I knew that freeing the slaves was going to result in short term (hopefully) economic disruption. The vast majority of economic activity, farming, manufacturing, and selling of goods and services seemed to be slave generated. But, since we had freed the slaves without dispossessing the citizens of their property (perhaps a mistake but, I felt, a necessary one), we had separated the labor force from the means of production.
Over time, this would sort itself out. Owners of factories and shops would have to hire their ex-slaves as employees. But, there would be a delay. Partly as a result of confusion and inertia and partly as a result of a shortage of money.
When you don’t pay your labor force, you need less money in total in the society. As a result less money circulates, and if you suddenly need to start paying your labor force, the physical coin doesn’t exist.
I’m basically a Keynesian, so my solution for these problems was going to be to spend money! The distillery had a lot of money and we’d already sent runners asking for a large transfer, but we needed more and fast! Luckily, Athens was the richest city in Greece!
The first step in my plan was the police force. If we could hire a couple of thousand police, not only would we get started on consolidating our hold on the city, but we would also start pumping more coin into the economy as we paid their wages. We were going to pay them daily, just to start the money pump flowing.
The next step was going to be finding and convincing some forward thinking factory owners to hire their ex-slaves as employees. At fair wages. It made good sense. The ex-slaves knew the work and the alternative was to shut down. The problem was that this idea was going to be hard to swallow for many owners (it’s hard to start paying someone for something they used to do for free), plus they probably didn’t have the money on hand.
So, one part of our program was going to be a liberal lending policy. We would lend money to factory and farm owners who needed ready cash to pay wages and we would also lend money to ex-slaves who needed capital to start their own production facilities. By making money available to both groups, I hoped to limit the amount of abuse of the former slaves. I didn’t want to free them from body-slavery just to transfer them to wage-slavery (although wage-slavery was preferable and to some extent unavoidable). Hence, we needed the treasury.
The treasury was located in an interior room of the Parthenon. It was surprisingly lightly guarded. So, when my group showed up with 30 soldiers and Pericles, they just handed us the keys and vanished.
The treasury room itself was like something out of Ali Baba! Filled with gold and silver! Bars and coins and cups and plates! It took all my self-control to keep myself from piling it all up in the center and making a swan dive into it!
I had some soldiers gather up an ample supply of coins in all denominations and left our own guards. We took the coins down to the Strategeion. It was getting late and we were hungry.
During dinner, we talked strategy. I explained my thoughts on the economic situation, but nobody seemed interested. Modern economic theory, even in modern times, is a sure-fire party killer.
We had recruited, so far, about 800 ex-slaves for our police force and basic training was under way. There had been some small scale disturbances, mostly ex-slave – ex-owner conflicts, but generally the city was fairly calm. Fotis, now frequently mistaken for the God himself, reported that the temple was packed with worshipers all day and into the night. He had commandeered some other buildings around the main temple and had catechism classes initiating the faithful. He had to limit the number of classes to the small number of reliable teachers he had.
“That’s ok. Push as many people through as you can. Get them initiated first, and later we can correct any misconceptions. The keys are always Science and Kindness! Someone get that carved into a plaque for the front of the temple.”
Suddenly Eleni jumped up from her place. “Enough! I can’t listen to another second of this crap! While you are all lying around talking troops and money and ekomoics, my daughter, our daughter is missing! What are you going to do?! Robert! Tros!”
She was right. I’d been so consumed by trying to control the city and my plans to remake the world for my own (still unborn) child that I’d (almost) forgotten about Cilo! I felt horrible. Especially as I’d asked (and he’d delivered, without complaint) more and more of Tros. How would I have felt, if my daughter had been kidnapped and my friends, the people pledged to help her, were focused on something else, anything else, no matter how important?
“You’re right Eleni. I’m so sorry. Nothing is more important than finding Cilo. And Aspasia.” I turned to the group pleading, “Thoughts?”
Pericles answered. “She’s from Asia Minor, the city of Miletus, originally. If I had to guess that’s where she’s run. Her family there is quite powerful and could offer her protection.”
“Ok. How many people can we spare?”
“None.” Replied Tros. “We’re barely in control of the city as it is. We have less than 200 Distillery troops and 20 of those are guarding the treasury. I’ve got 40 training recruits and the rest are patrolling the city in shifts. We’re spread too thin as it is.”
“Ok. If we can’t do it ourselves, we’ll hire people. Where is Megakreon?”
“He’s back in Megara, running distillery operations. Remember?” Melite could be very sarcastic on occasion.
“Ok! OK! Tros, I know you only have a million things to do, but get a hold of some of the cloth merchants. Or any of the traveling merchants we’ve used, Isodemos help him. Send groups to Miletus and any other cities that she could have run to. I want to cover more territory, rather than less. Pericles can help with the list of possible cities. I want to cover as much territory as possible. Anyone who finds her, or hears word of her, is to return here. Under
no circumstances do I want anyone to confront her! We can’t risk her hurting Cilo.”
Tros jumped up and ran off, followed closely by Isodemos and Pericles.
Eleni sank back down, crying softly. “I’m sorry. I’m just so worried. I’ve never been apart from her before.”
“Don’t be sorry. You are right. I’m sorry that I let our attention drift.”
Melite put her arm around Eleni and they went off to our apartments.
I looked at Socrates. “I guess it’s just you and me.”
“Evidently so.”
“Do you know a man called Cleon?”
“The tanner?”
“The very man.”
“He’s a brute. A dangerous man. And very ambitious. Very wealthy. Why?”
“I want to see him tomorrow.”
I called for vodka and some juice and Socrates and I worked late into the night.
In the morning we assembled for breakfast. Tros and Isodemos and Pericles looked worn. They had spent the night visiting merchants and hiring teams and boats. They had 17 teams leaving for Miletus and other cities that day and another 12 that would leave within the week. Eleni, while still anxious for the safe return of Cilo, clearly felt better that we were, at last, doing something.
After breakfast, as everyone scattered to their various tasks, Socrates, Pericles and I went to see Cleon, my former owner. His home was a short walk from our HQ in the Strategeion.
“You should have summoned him to the Strategeion. To let him know who is in control. By going to his house, we look weak.” Pericles complained.
“When we get to China, I’ll get you a copy of “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu, assuming it’s been written. I think you’ll enjoy it. We’re going to his house precisely because I want him to feel powerful.”
At Cleon’s house, we knocked loudly on the door and Pericles, who knew Cleon, shouted his name.
Eventually, a woman opened the door. “I’m sorry, but all the slaves have run off and I have to do everything myself!”
Then seeing who we were “Oh! I’m so sorry! I worship the Great God Einstein!”
Pericles, amused by her sudden change of tone, said “Good morning Sapphiere! We wish to speak to Cleon.”
She looked at Pericles, as if seeing him for the first time. “He isn’t here. He’s gone down to the tannery. All the slaves, er, I mean workers have gone off.”
“Then, we will seek him there. Should he return before we find him, please ask him to wait. Robert and Pericles want to see him!”
“And Socrates.” I added.
“Yes, and Socrates.” Pericles confirmed.
We headed to the tannery. None of us knew where it was, but we asked for directions. The tannery was located outside the city not far from the docks. So, it was a good couple of miles walk.
As we walked I talked to them about my plans for taxation (sorry, I’m a tax geek!). The current Athenian government taxed its people relatively lightly. They could afford light taxation, because they didn’t provide much in terms of services. There were no police, no public prosecutor, no public schools, no support for the poor, etc. Basically, the government provided defense, a court system, some commercial services (e.g. weights and measures), coinage and little else.
But under the new system we would be providing a host of new services, including schools, banking and credit, policing, public prosecution, health services, etc. So, new revenue would be needed.
“Basically, I want to tax trade, all shipments into and out of the ports, except for grain. And I want to tax wealth.”
Pericles, as a politician, was very interested in tax policy. “I understand taxing trade. It’s probably the easiest place to collect taxes. We tax trade right now. But what do you mean by a tax on wealth?”
“I’m going to institute a tax on the value of a person’s total wealth. Annually. Only above a certain threshold. The poor and less wealthy, won’t be taxed, but the wealthy and super-rich will pay a tax based on their total wealth. Imagine a man with, let’s say, a farm worth 5000 drachmas and a sword factory worth 3500 drachmas and a house in the city worth 2500 drachmas. Ok his total wealth is 11,000 drachmas. He’s a fairly rich man, not super-rich, but rich enough. So, let’s say we’ll tax him at a rate of 2.5%. He’ll pay a wealth tax of 275 drachmas this year. If his wealth increases next year he’ll pay more, if it decreases he’ll pay less. If it decreases so much that he’s no longer rich, he won’t pay anything. If it increases so that he’s now super-rich he’ll pay a higher percent, maybe 7%.”
“Why should the, as you say, super-rich, pay a higher percent?”
“The super-rich should pay more, because they receive more benefits from living under a government.”
“I don’t see how.”
“You can be poor without a government. In fact for most of human existence, there were no governments and everybody was poor. But, you can only be rich if there is a government. You can only be rich if there is a society to protect your rights. Do you have a farm?”
“I do.”
“Why is it yours?”
“It was my father’s before me and I inherited it when he died.”
“Ok, you received it as an inheritance. A legal process, only available under a government. And you hold it, because the government is prepared to defend your right of ownership against others. Now, the poor. Do they inherit farms from their fathers?”
“Small ones, sometimes.”
“Exactly! Small ones. And what is the value of a small farm as compared to a big one?”
“Less. I can see why you find Socrates so companionable.”
Socrates, who had not seemed to have been paying us much attention, nodded.
“Exactly!” I continued. “So, the poor either receive no farms, or small farms. In other words, the value of services they receive from the government, from the EXISTANCE of the government is less!”
“Ok, I can see that. But what about this protection force of yours? Will it protect the rich more than the poor? And what about these schools? The rich already send their children to schools or hire tutors.”
“Ah! Let’s talk about externalities….”
We smelled the tannery long before we arrived. Apparently, in case you don’t know, the process of turning the skins of dead animals into leather (a process that we would eventually ban as UNKIND, but… baby steps) involves soaking the skins in, among other things, piss or shit and other equally noxious substances.
When we finally arrived, the stench was overpowering. And there sitting alone in a yard full of stinking vats and rotting skins, was Cleon.
Pericles greeted him. “Cleon! I have the honor to introduce you to Robert! Priest of the Great God Einstein, and much as it pains me to say, conqueror of Athens. Robert, this is Cleon.”
Cleon looked at me. “My former slave! My current master! What does it matter? I’m ruined! Look at me! Look around! A few days ago, this was a productive tannery. Producing the finest leathers in the city! I had 200 slaves working here. Now? Nothing! They’ve all run off. And what will they do? Soon enough they’ll turn to looting and destroy Athens!”
I knelt down in front of him. “Cleon, you’re a smart business man. Why not hire your former slaves back as workers? While the other tanneries are out of business, you can make a fortune!”
“I would, I even tried, but I don’t have the money. Plus I’d have to charge more for my leathers.”
“You could charge more, you’ll be the only tannery in town, and once other tanneries start up again, they’ll have to pay their workers too and charge more for their leather too.”
“It doesn’t matter, I don’t have the money. I’d need to sell my farms or other factories to raise the coin. And there are no buyers.”
“I have the money. And I’m willing to lend it to you, at a very reasonable interest rate.”
He brightened. “And what would I have to do?”
“Nothing you wouldn’t do on your own. Just hire b
ack your old slaves, if they are willing, or new workers and pay them for their work.”
“What about my farm? I have a hundred slaves, um ex-slaves, out there. I’ll have to pay them too!”
“We’ll lend you money for the farm too. But remember, you can’t treat them as slaves. I know, personally, how Belos and the other maintained order on the farm.” My jaw hurt just thinking about it. “You’ll have to treat them like the free workers that they are.”
“What choice do I have? It’s either that or ruin.”
I took his hand. “Nice doing business with you. Come by the Strategeion later today and we’ll get everything set up.”
We headed back to the city. “Now, I want to find a group of ex-slaves who used to work in a tannery. I’m going to lend them money to start a competing tannery operation.”
“But you told Cleon he would have the only tannery operation in the city!”
“And he will, if he acts fast. For a while. I told him that other tanneries would eventually start up. And the others will have to pay their workers too. Cleon will be alright.
“But what about you Pericles? You’ve got a farm and maybe some other operations. Do you need a loan to keep operating?”
He laughed. “No. I’m ok. I’ve already made arrangements. As soon as we talked the other day, I sent offers to all my ex-slaves. I retained about 80 percent. And I’ve hired replacements for most of the ones I lost.”
Back in the city, we got the lending operation set up. Word quickly got around and we soon had a line of potential borrowers. We had little information to go on in making lending decisions, but listened to their plans and made the ones with promising ideas sign (or mark) a contract enforceable by the Great God Einstein, and trusted in religious fervor/fear to keep them honest.
I actually wasn’t too worried about abuse of the lending program. Since my purpose was economic stimulus, as long as dishonest borrowers SPENT their ill-gotten coin it would have a stimulating effect.
As a compliment to the lending program we also used good old government spending. Our nascent police force, now numbering a full 2000, could be seen patrolling the streets in groups of 20, each accompanied by an, only slightly better trained, Distillery soldier. We hired crews to clean up and eventually rebuild the city wall. And we let contracts for as much saltpeter as we could buy.
A New York Lawyer in the Court of Pericles Page 14
