Cimber bows to his colleague.

“I understand your concerns Casca. Roma is a deity of the city, and the city is more than just her people. The point of this bill is to create a system of clients, but not to individuals of the senate. The point is to create a bond between the lower classes and the state. We can’t exist as a society without the cohesiveness that gives us all a stake in its success.

“If Catulus Aemilius Princeps Senatus wanted to claim that he was the patron of all the lower class, he could have offered his charity directly to the people. The fact of the matter is, he could attempt such claim without this bill. Do you consider yourself the Princeps Senatus’ client for his share of tax is far exceeding your own. Are you not already in debt to him for supporting the government functions at a level far above your own? Does he not deserve a greater voice? I think we would all agree that we are not here to set one man among us that far above his peers. I’m afraid that your concerns should have been a matter to discuss when the original Senatus Consultum Caecilia was under discussion.

“The dye is cast. The matter at hand now is to insure the responsible usage of the tax. The matter is how to protect the poor and provide for the people that provide the backbone of our society in labor and the legions.

A loud cry could be heard from the people outside. Cimber quietly sat back down.