CENSORS, sen'sorz. In ancient Rome, originally two magistrates whose chief duty it was to keep the register of property, on which all political rights were based; the community being graded by amount of income from estates. Being thus arbiters of the political and social position of every freeman, they speedily became the most important officials in the state except the occasional dictators. The supreme judicial functions, and the control of morals (regimen morum), fashion and speech, which we associate with 'censorship; flowed naturally from this. The essence of their duty being to fix the status of each citizen, they took cog nizance of everything which bore upon it; and became arbiters of the sumptuary laws and customary observances which are the cement of early communities. Not only could they expel a senator from the Senate and take his horse from a knight or even reduce him to the ranks for lack of property qualification, or notorious evil living, but they could punish for slack tillage, celibacy,, demeaning occupations, extravagance or any other conduct thought prejudicial to the common weal. There was an appeal to the popular assembly, however, and they had to state their charges publicly. The censors also filled vacancies in the Senate and appointed its thief, originally at will, later according to a prescribed list. They also administered the state finances, which included the regulation of the tributum or property tax; of the vectigalia, such as the tithes paid for public lands, salt works, mines, customs, etc., which were usually leased out to speculators for five years. Consult Leuze, Geschichte der romischen Censur' (Halle 1912), and the article "Censor'" in Smith, (A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities' (3d ed., London 1890). The term, legendarily five years at the outset, was a year and a half in historical times, and re-election was forbidden; originally patri cians alone were eligible, but by fully historical times the plebeians had gained one censorship and occasionally secured both. The Emperors
assumed censorial power under the title 'prefects of morals.'" The last who bore it was the brother of Constantine the Great.
In American history, the title was given to two sets of State officers in imitation of the Roman office. The 1776.constitution of Penn sylvania provided that the people should elect a council of censors once in seven years, two for each city and county, to investigate the acts of the governmental departments, inquire whether or not the constitution had been vio lated, etc. This curious article was dropped in the revised constitution of 1790. But in Ver mont a similar article had a far longer life, surviving until a comparatively recent time. That State in 1777 proclaimed its independence and drew up a constitution. One article, fol lowing the example of Pennsylvania, provided that on the last Wednesday of March in 1785, and the same day every seventh year there after, the people should choose a council of 13 censors, who should examine whether the con stitution had been preserved inviolate; whether the legislature had performed its duty as a guardian of the people, or had exceeded its powers; whether the taxes had been justly laid and collected, and how the public moneys had been expended; and whether the laws had been duly executed. They were also empowered, if they thought a change in the constitution was needed, to call a convention to meet within two years thereafter, giving notice of the proposed change at least six months before the meeting. The last one so called, in 1870, abolished its creator; but the censorship seems to have worked fairly well for nearly a century.