4.  These Latin staff-officers were the twelve -praefecti sociorum-, who subsequently, when the old phalanx had been resolved into the later legions and -alae-, had the charge of the two -alae- of the federal contingents, six to each -ala-, just as the twelve war-tribunes of the Roman army had charge of the two legions, six to each legion.  Polybius (vi. 26, 5) states that the consul nominated the former, as he originally nominated the latter.  Now, as according to the ancient maxim of law, that every person under obligation of service might become an officer (p. 106), it was legally allowable for the general to appoint a Latin as leader of a Roman, as well as conversely a Roman as leader of a Latin, legion, this led to the practical result that the -tribuni militum- were wholly, and the -praefecti sociorum-at least ordinarily, Romans.

5.  These were the -decuriones turmarum- and -praefecti cohortium-(Polyb. vi. 21, 5; Liv. xxv. 14; Sallust.  Jug. 69, et al.) Of course, as the Roman consuls were in law and ordinarily also in fact commanders-in-chief, the presidents of the community in the dependent towns also were perhaps throughout, or at least very frequently, placed at the head of the community-contingents (Liv. xxiii. 19; Orelli, Inscr. 7022).  Indeed, the usual name given to the Latin magistrates (-praetores-) indicates that they were officers.

6.  Such a —­metoikos—­ was not like an actual burgess assigned to a specific voting district once for all, but before each particular vote the district in which the —­metoeci—­ were upon that occasion to vote was fixed by lot.  In reality this probably amounted to the concession to the Latins of one vote in the Roman -comitia tributa-.  As a place in some tribe was a preliminary condition of the ordinary centuriate suffrage, if the —­metoeci—­ shared in the voting in the assembly of the centuries-which we do not know-a similar allotment must have been fixed for the latter.  In the curies they must have taken part like the plebeians.

7.  II.  I. Abolition of the Life-Presidency of the Community

8.  Ordinarily, as is well known, the Latin communities were presided over by two praetors.  Besides these there occur in several communities single magistrates, who in that case bear the title of dictator; as in Alba (Orelli-Henzen, Inscr. 2293), Tusculum (p. 445, note 2), Lanuvium (Cicero, pro Mil. 10, 27; 17, 45; Asconius, in Mil. p. 32, Orell.; Orelli, n. 2786, 5157, 6086); Compitum (Orelli, 3324); Nomentum (Orelli, 208, 6138, 7032; comp.  Henzen, Bullett. 1858, p. 169); and Aricia (Orelli, n. 1455).  To these falls to be added the similar dictator in the -civitas sine suffragio- of Caere (Orelli, n. 3787, 5772; also Garrucci Diss. arch., i. p. 31, although erroneously placed after Sutrium); and further the officials of the like name at Fidenae (Orelli, 112).  All these magistracies or priesthoods that originated in magistracies (the dictator of Caere is to be explained