Rocky Ford enterprise., 1896-10-08
DEATH OF TIBERIus GRACIOUS.

portion OF the electoral power was
welded by men whose desperate for
tunes unified them for such n trust.
while. at the same time. the great Of
fees of the republic were mainly en-
crossed by the remnants OF the old
patricians and by the newer aristoc-
racy created out Of the ancient piebian
families. To. the same comparatively
small class also belonged the vast
estates which had Of late years been
made from the small farms OF peasant
proprietors and which were now cul-
tiyated by slaves. A condition SO seri-
,us could not but attract the notice
Of thoughtful men. The corruption oil
the social and political state was espe-
cially obvious to Tiberius Gracious,
whose father had from an early age
enlisted his sympathies on behalf OF
the poor and the humble in their strug-
Gle with the oppressive mobiles and the
corrupt office -holders. While still very
Young he served with distinction in
several military campaigns. 1t was
while passing through Etruria that he
was powerfully struck by the decline
,f prosperity and of national life in
one of the most fertile and magnificent
districts of Italy. The old Etruscan
cities had fallen into decay; the descend
ants of the ancient race, once the in
structors of the Romans themselves,
were diminished in number and de-
based in spirit. Vast tracts of country
were given up to pasturage to the un-
profitable support of swine and buffa-
loes and to the ravening of wolves
and bears. @
About 1874 b. C. Tiberius Gracious
was elected to the tribunate as the
representative of popular principles
and of the demand for reform. He was
an eloquent speaker, and on assuming
office lost no opportunity of comparing
the existing state of Italy with that
of former days. The remedy for the
prevailing evils lay, in the opinion of
the young tribune. in a restoration of
the class of small landed proprietors.
He therefore introduced bill for
the reviving vi the Licinian laws of
367 B. c., the object Of which was to
prevent the accumulation of large por-
tions of the public domains in the
hands of single proprietors. Licinius
had forbidden any citizen to hold more
than three hundred and twelve acres
of the public land. Gracious now pro-
posed to modify this regulation to the
extent of allowing each Of two sons of
family to hold half that quantity in
addition, thus bringing up the total to
about six hundred and twenty-four
acres. Any excess on this amount
was to be surrendered to the state;
but those who willingly complied with
the requirements of the law were to re-
ceive compensation for any improve
ments they might have made during
their occupation. All public lands
we're to be vested In three commission
ers, to be elected by the tribes; and
to these functionaries was assigned the
duty OF distributing the state domains
among needy citizens. The sale OF the
new allotment was prohibited-a pro-
vision by which H. was hoped to pre-
vent the re-absorption of small into
large estates, t"f'
This, Of course, was met with bitter
opposition on the part of the wealthy
and privileged claes. Having held their
vast estates during many generations,
they were naturally alarmed at tho
prospect of being dispossessed. The
time arrived for Gracious to move his
law in the forum Having finished his