er make
use of religious law and practice to hamper the political activity of the
plebs.

*The Hortensian **Law**, 287 B. C.* The end of the struggle between the
orders came with the secession of 287 B. C. Apparently this crisis was
produced by the demands of the farming population who had become heavily
burdened with debt as a result of the economic strain put upon them by the
long Samnite wars. Refusal to meet their demands led to a schism, and the
plebeian soldiers under arms seceded to the Janiculum. A dictator, Quintus
Hortensius, appointed for the purpose, settled the differences and passed
a _lex Hortensia_, which provided that for the future all measures passed
in the _comitia tributa_, even without the previous approval of the
Senate, should become binding on the whole state. Thus the Assembly of the
Tribes as a legislative body acquired greater independence than the
Assembly of the Centuries.

*The two assemblies of the people.* Henceforth, the Assembly of the Tribes
tended to become more and more the legislative assembly _par excellence_,
while the Assembly of the Centuries remained the chief elective assembly.
For legislative purposes the Assembly of the Tribes could be convened by a
magistrate with _imperium_ or by a tribune; for the election of the
plebeian tribunes and aediles it had to be summoned by a tribune; while to
elect the quaestors and curule aediles it must be called together by a
magistrate. For all purposes the Assembly of the Centuries had to be
convened and presided over by a magistrate. It elected the consuls,
praetors, censors and, eventually, twenty-four military tribunes for the
annual levy. It must be kept in mind that these were both primary
assemblies, that each comprised the whole body of Roman citizens, but that
they differed essentially in the organization of the voting groups. As we
have seen the wealthier classes dominated the Assembly of the Centuries,
but in the Assembly of the Tribes, which was the more democratic body, a
simple majority determined the vote of each tribe.

*The increased importance of the tribunate.* The importance of the
tribunes was greatly enhanced by the Hortensian Law, as well as by various
privileges which they had already acquired by 287 or gained shortly after
that date. The more important of these powers were the right to sit in the
Senate, to address, and even to convene that body, and the right to
prosecute any magistrate before the _comitia tribu