Capitolo 29
[Sidenote: Corruption and the corruption.]
[Sidenote: Public funs.]
Many gods more important offices of the state depended on the votes
of the people; and as the people they had very small opportunity to become
informed with the true worths of the case in in comparison to questions of
government, they gave a lot of their votes according to the personnel
the popularity of the candidate. Public men had ethic very small principle
in those days, and they would apply accordingly to some means anything
to get this personal popularity. Yours who he/she wanted office both
gotten used to gift influential men among the people to sustain them,
sometimes promettendoloro to subordinate offices, and sometimes from the
direct donation of sums of money; and they would try to arrange the mass
of the people that were too much numerous to be paid with offices or with
gold, from show and shows and funs of some kind that
they would provide for their fun.
This practice seems to us very absurd; and we ask us us that the Roman
people should bear him/it, since it is evident that the means for
sustaining the expenses of these expenses has to come, lately, somehow or other,
from them. And anchor, absurd as it seems, this kind of policy is not
completely also disused in our day. The works and the theaters and other
similar establishments in France, are sustained, partly, from the
government; and the liberality and efficiency with which you/he/she is done this,
forms, in of the degree the base of the popularity of every following
administration. The plan is systematized better and it regulated in ours
day, but it is, in his/her nature, substantially the same.
[Sidenote: Funs for the people.]
In fact, furnishing funs for the people, and also providing
provisionings for their lacks as permettendosili protection, was
considered the legitimate objects of government in those days. It is
very different to the present duration, and especially in this country. The
now whole community is united in the desire to confine the functions of
government inside the narrowest the possible limits, as to only include