The Peril of the Republic of the United States of America - Percy T. Magan

lessons were, led them, as a matter of course, to
turn to account their extraordinary opportunities.
Governors with their staffs, permanent officials,
contractors for the revenue, negotiators, billbrokers,
bankers, merchants, were scattered
everywhere in thousands. Money poured in upon
them in rolling streams of gold. The largest share
of the spoils fell to the Senate and the senatorial
families. The Senate was the permanent council of
state, and was the real administrator of the empire.
The Senate had the control of the treasury,
conducted the public policy, appointed from its
own ranks the governors of the provinces. It was
patrician in sentiment, but not necessarily patrician
in composition. The members of it had virtually
been elected for life by the people, and were almost
entirely those who had been quæstors, ædiles,
prætors, or consuls; and these offices had been long
open to the plebeians. It was an aristocracy, in
theory a real one, but tending to become, as
civilization went forward, an aristocracy of the
rich. How the senatorial privileges affected the
management of the provinces will be seen more
and more particularly as we go on. It is enough at
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