22
In order, then, that we may have thirty more men for the public services, spread over the whole period,As there was a list of 300 citizens qualified for the προεισφοράand of 1200 for the trierarchy, we may perhaps assume a list of 600 for the regular services. At the rate of 60 a year, it would take 10 years to work through the list, if the contributors were called upon strictly in rotation by the officials of their respective tribes. Therefore the outside estimate of 30 additional contributors, rendered available by abolishing the immunities, would provide only 3 more each year; i.e. 3 citizens out of 60 would be relieved annually. In case of a real shortage of qualified contributors, Demosthenes would prefer the adoption of the system, first instituted for the trierarchy in 357, whereby the 1200 were divided into 20 companies (συμμορίαι) of 60 each, further subdivided into syndicates (συντέλειαι), each responsible for one ship. This was the system reformed at a later date by Demosthenes himself. is it worth our while to excite the distrust of all? But surely we must know this, that as long as Athens stands, there will be plenty of citizens, without fail, to perform the services, but not a soul will want to do us a good turn, if he sees our previous benefactors wronged.
23
So far, so good. But if there were the most serious shortage of possible contributors, in Heaven’s name, which would you prefer—to organize syndicates for those services as for the equipment of war-vessels, or to rob your benefactors of what you have given them? I think I should prefer the syndicates. By the present law, while each of these thirty is performing a public service, Leptines affords a respite for the others, and that is all; after that, each of them will have to spend as much as before; but in the other case, each would pay a small contribution, proportioned to his means, and none would be hardly treated, even if his property were quite small.
