Conflict of Orders

Marcus Aurelius Cotta wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 8:01 pm Conscript Fathers, a two year term is generous, a four year term is ludicrous! There will be four years of praetors who have served here in Rome that shall be denied opportunities to serve as propraetor!

If the propraetors are unable to finish their duties in the allotted time, the Senate can vote at that time to extend their imperium - as has always been the way of this Curia - or the propraetor can return to seek the office of Consul to continue their campaigns.

The Consul has made a more than reasonable proposal in terms of the lengths of term, let us not engage in excess.

While I understand Aurelius Cotta’s concerns, I do wish to point out that Governorships are for service to Rome, the Republic, not as ‘opportunities’ for individuals. I believe a three or four year term - for this specific turmoil - is required. The stability is necessary to both protect and nurture these newly added territories.

At any rate, this Senate can revoke the governorship and send forth a replacement if the need arises.

Marcus Aurelius Cotta wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 8:01 pm Conscript Fathers, a two year term is generous, a four year term is ludicrous! There will be four years of praetors who have served here in Rome that shall be denied opportunities to serve as propraetor!

If the propraetors are unable to finish their duties in the allotted time, the Senate can vote at that time to extend their imperium - as has always been the way of this Curia - or the propraetor can return to seek the office of Consul to continue their campaigns.

The Consul has made a more than reasonable proposal in terms of the lengths of term, let us not engage in excess.

And what Praetors does Aurelius Cotta speak of, exactly? If you wish to nominate yourself for Hispania Citerior, I for one am all ears.

The Roman way is to extend the terms of service as willed by this August body. In times of great peril and need, we may consider expanding the term of service for governors that show both Roman virtue and success. I believe that this time has not yet arrived and therefore my opinion is for the motion unchanged.

If there are no other objections, I move that we vote on the motion.

Amulius Valerius Marius wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 9:32 pm The Roman way is to extend the terms of service as willed by this August body. In times of great peril and need, we may consider expanding the term of service for governors that show both Roman virtue and success. I believe that this time has not yet arrived and therefore my opinion is for the motion unchanged.

If there are no other objections, I move that we vote on the motion.

Given that there are no other nominees, I will second the motion.

Point of order, Consul. The expanded Hispanian Governor terms were provided a second. By this August body, that should be brought to a vote sometime during this session.

Conscript Fathers, it dismays me to hear so many calls in favor of three or even four year terms for the governorships of the two Hispanian provinces well before the presumptive candidates have even taken their posts! I echo the sentiment expressed by Senator Aurelius Cotta when I say that if the propraetors appointed to the Hispanian provinces are unable to properly execute their duties to the Republic within the time allotted by their term of office, perhaps say if a military campaign was in progress at the end of their term, it would not irregular for them to be prorogued by the will of this August body.

However, the term of office for magistrates, from a propraetor in the provinces to a consul of Rome, has long been fixed at one year, and I for one am not blind to the fact that our forefathers adhered to this for good reason. This check by the Senate and People of Rome over their commanders, a bedrock principle of the Republic against tyranny, must stand; the exigencies of the current situation in Hispania does not, by themselves, warrant the extreme measure of preemptively proroguing our governors-to-be for up to four years before they have even managed to make a report to the Senate of the situation in their provinces.

The ready support of Claudius Nero and Domitius Corbulo for the proposal to start off their governorships as a three or even four year term, this perhaps even to become a regular norm, is a foul stench in the nostrils of the Gods. Lest this come to pass, I am compelled to my name forward as a competing candidate for the governorship of Hispania Citerior. I too have served in war against the menace of Hannibal and his Iberians, and I say to my fellow Romans that as governor of Hispania Citerior, I will drive the Iberian tribes into submission by the sword and, with the region thusly obedient, I will ensure that the province becomes a productive source of funds to the Treasury through improvements to the mines. I ask from this body not three or four years, but one year in office as prescribed by tradition, unless the Senate, after proper and due assessment of the situation, sees fit to extend my term.

It is a delicate matter to take into consideration, as we have all heard of the death of the Praetor Sempronius Tuditanus and 8,000 Latin allied troops just last year in Hispania Citerior. The threat the Iberian barbarians pose to the region is great, and it does necessitate a firm hand to ensure the matter is not handled rashly. It is still yet unknown just how numerous the hostile barbarians are in Hispania, so it is possible an additional Socii Alaes could be required to be raised to more effectively combat them, and ensure each province is properly secured. As a statement of my intention, I stand by my support of an increase of the Hispanian Propraetors' term length due to the necessity of the region requiring stability and order to be restored, however the Consul Valerius Marius' proposition does have merit.