the man versus the state-第5节

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d　from　a　popularly…chosen　body；　for　that　the　authority　of　a　popularly…chosen　body　is　no　more　to　be　regarded　as　an　unlimited　authority　than　the　authority　of　a　monarch；　and　that　as　true　Liberalism　in　the　past　disputed　the　assumption　of　a　monarch's　unlimited　authority；　so　true　Liberalism　in　the　present　will　dispute　the　assumption　of　unlimited　parliamentary　authority。　Of　this；　however；　more　anon。　Here　I　merely　indicate　it　as　an　ultimate　answer。　　　　　　Meanwhile　it　suffices　to　point　out　that　until　recently；　just　as　of　old；　true　Liberalism　was　shown　by　its　acts　to　be　moving　towards　the　theory　of　a　limited　parliamentary　authority。　All　these　abolitions　of　restraints　over　religious　beliefs　and　observances；　over　exchange　and　transit；　over　trade…combinations　and　the　traveling　of　artisans；　over　the　publication　of　opinions；　theological　or　political；　etc。；　etc。；　were　tacit　assertions　of　the　desirableness　of　limitation。　In　the　same　way　that　the　abandonment　of　sumptuary　laws；　of　laws　forbidding　this　or　that　kind　of　amusement；　of　laws　dictating　modes　of　farming；　and　many　others　of　like　meddling　nature；　which　took　place　in　early　days；　was　an　implied　admission　that　the　State　ought　not　to　interfere　in　such　matters；　so　those　removals　of　hindrances　to　individual　activities　of　one　or　other　kind；　which　the　Liberalism　of　the　last　generation　effected；　were　practical　confessions　that　in　these　directions；　too；　the　sphere　of　governmental　action　should　be　narrowed。　And　this　recognition　of　the　propriety　of　restricting　governmental　action　was　a　preparation　for　restricting　it　in　theory。　One　of　the　most　familiar　political　truths　is　that；　in　the　course　of　social　evolution；　usage　precedes　law；　and　that　when　usage　has　been　well　established　it　becomes　law　by　receiving　authoritative　endorsement　and　defined　form。　Manifestly　then；　Liberalism　in　the　past；　by　its　practice　of　limitation；　was　preparing　the　way　for　the　principle　of　limitation。　　　　　　But　returning　from　these　more　general　considerations　to　the　special　question；　I　emphasize　the　reply　that　the　liberty　which　a　citizen　enjoys　is　to　be　measured；　not　by　the　nature　of　the　governmental　machinery　he　lives　under；　whether　representative　or　other；　but　by　the　relative　paucity　of　the　restraints　it　imposes　on　him；　and　that；　whether　this　machinery　is　or　is　not　one　that　he　has　shared　in　making；　its　actions　are　not　of　the　kind　proper　to　Liberalism　if　they　increase　such　restraints　beyond　those　which　are　needful　for　preventing　him　from　directly　or　indirectly　aggressing　on　his　fellows　　needful；　that　is；　for　maintaining　the　liberties　of　his　fellows　against　his　invasions　of　them：　restraints　which　are；　therefore；　to　be　distinguished　as　negatively　coercive；　not　positively　coercive。　

Probably；　however；　the　Liberal；　and　still　more　the　sub…species　Radical；　who　more　than　any　other　in　these　latter　days　seems　under　the　impression　that　so　long　as　he　has　a　good　end　in　view　he　is　warranted　in　exercising　over　men　all　the　coercion　he　is　able；　will　continue　to　protest；　knowing　that　his　aim　is　popular　benefit　of　some　kind；　to　be　achieved　in　some　way；　and　believing　that　the　Tory　is；　contrariwise；　prompted　by　class…interest　and　the　desire　to　maintain　class…power；　he　will　regard　it　as　palpably　absurd　to　group　him　as　one　of　the　same　genus；　and　will　scorn　the　reasoning　used　to　prove　that　he　belongs　to　it。　　　　　　Perhaps　an　analogy　will　help　him　to　see　its　validity。　If；　away　in　the　far　East；　where　personal　government　is　the　only　form　of　government　known；　he　heard　from　the　inhabitants　an　account　of　a　struggle　by　which　they　had　deposed　a　cruel　and　vicious　despot；　and　put　in　his　place　one　whose　acts　proved　his　desire　for　their　welfare　　if；　after　listening　to　their　self…gratulations；　he　told　them　that　they　had　not　essentially　changed　the　nature　of　their　government；　he　would　greatly　astonish　them；　and　probably　he　would　have　difficulty　in　making　them　understand　that　the　substitution　of　a　benevolent　despot　for　a　malevolent　despot；　still　left　the　government　a　despotism。　Similarly　with　Toryism　as　rightly　conceived。　Standing　as　it　does　for　coercion　by　the　State　versus　the　freedom　of　the　individual；　Toryism　remains　Toryism；　whether　it　extends　this　coercion　for　selfish　or　unselfish　reasons。　As　certainly　as　the　despot　is　still　a　despot；　whether　his　motives　for　arbitrary　rule　are　good　or　bad；　so　certainly　is　the　Tory　still　a　Tory；　whether　he　has　egoistic　or　altruistic　motives　for　using　State…power　to　restrict　the　liberty　of　the　citizen；　beyond　the　degree　required　for　maintaining　the　liberties　of　other　citizens。　The　altruistic　Tory　as　well　as　the　egoistic　Tory　belongs　to　the　genus　Tory；　though　he　forms　a　new　species　of　the　genus。　And　both　stand　in　distinct　contrast　with　the　Liberal　as　defined　in　the　days　when　Liberals　were　rightly　so　called；　and　when　the　definition　was　　〃one　who　advocates　greater　freedom　from　restraint；　especially　in　political　institutions。〃　Thus；　then；　is　justified　the　paradox　I　set　out　with。　As　we　have　seen；　Toryism　and　Liberalism　originally　emerged；　the　one　from　militancy　and　the　other　from　industrialism。　The　one　stood　for　the　regime　of　status　and　the　other　for　the　regime　of　contract　　the　one　for　that　system　of　compulsory　co…operation　which　accompanies　the　legal　inequality　of　classes；　and　the　other　for　that　voluntary　co…operation　which　accompanies　their　legal　equality；　and　beyond　all　question　the　early　acts　of　the　two　parties　were　respectively　for　the　maintenance　of　agencies　which　effect　this　compulsory　co…operation；　and　for　the　weakening　or　curbing　of　them。　Manifestly　the　implication　is　that；　in　so　far　as　it　has　been　extending　the　system　of　compulsion；　what　is　now　called　Liberalism　is　a　new　form　of　Toryism。　　　　　　How　truly　this　is　so；　we　shall　see　still　more　clearly　on　looking　at　the　facts　the　other　side　upwards；　which　we　will　presently　do。　

NOTE　　By　sundry　newspapers　which　noticed　this　article　when　it　was　originally　published；　the　meaning　of　the　above　paragraphs　was　supposed　to　be　that　Liberals　and　Tories　have　changed　places。　This；　however；　is　by　no　means　the　implication。　A　new　species　of　Tory　may　arise　without　disappearance　of　the　original　species。　When　saying；　as　on　page　70；　that　in　our　days　〃Conservatives　and　Liberals　vie　with　one　another　in　multiplying〃　interferences；　I　clearly　implied　the　belief　that　while　Liberals　have　taken　to　coercive　legislation；　Conservatives　have　not　abandoned　it。　Nevertheless；　it　is　true　that　the　laws　made　by　Liberals　are　so　greatly　increasing　the　compulsions　and　restraints　exercised　over　citizens；　that　among　Conservatives　who　suffer　from　this　aggressiveness　there　is　growing　up　a　tendency　to　resist　it。　Proof　is　furnished　by　the　fact　that　the　〃Liberty　and　Property　Defence　League；〃　largely　consisting　of　Conservatives；　has　taken　for　its　motto　〃Individualism　versus　Socialism。〃　So　that　if　the　present　drift　of　things　continues；　it　may　by　and　by　really　happen　that　the　Tories　will　be　defenders　of　liberties　which　the　Liberals；　in　pursuit　of　what　they　think　popular　welfare；　trample　under　foot。　

THE　COMING　SLAVERY

　　　　The　kinship　of　pity　to　love　is　shown　among　other　ways　in　this；　that　it　idealizes　its　object。　Sympathy　with　one　in　suffering　suppresses；　for　the　time　being；　remembrance　of　his　transgressions。　The　feeling　which　vents　itself　in　〃poor　fellow！〃　on　seeing　one　in　agony；　excludes　the　thought　of　〃bad　fellow；〃　which　might　at　another　time　arise。　Naturally；　then；　if　the　wretched　are　unknown　or　but　vaguely　known；　all　the　demerits　they　may　have　are　ignored；　and　thus　it　happens　that　when；　as　just　now；　the　miseries　of　the　poor　are　depicted；　they　are　thought　of　as　the　miseries　of　the　deserving　poor；　instead　of　being　thought　of；　as　in　large　measure　they　should　be；　as　the　miseries　of　the　undeserving　poor。　Those　whose　hardships　are　set　forth　in　pamphlets　and　proclaimed　in　sermons　and　speeches　which　echo　throughout　society；　are　assumed　to　be　all　worthy　souls；　grievously　wronged；　and　none　of　them　are　thought　of　as　bearing　the　penalties　of　their　own　misdeeds。　　　　　　On　hailing　a　cab　in　a　London　street；　it　is　surprising　how　frequently　the　door　is　officiously　opened　by　one　who　expects　to　get　something　for　his　trouble。　The　surprise　lessens　after　counting　the　many　loungers　about　tavern…doors；　or　after　observing　the　quickness　with　which　a　street…performance；　or　procession；　draws　from　neighbouring　slums　and　stable…yards　a　group　of　idlers。　Seeing　how　numerous　they　are　in　every　small　area；　it　becomes　manifest　that　tens　of　thousands　of　such　swarm　through　London。　〃They　have　no　work；〃　you　say。　Say　rather　that　they　either　refuse　work　or　quickly　turn　themselves　out　of　it。　They　are　simply　good…for…nothings；　who　in　one　way　or　other　live　on　the　good…for…somethings　　vagrants　and　sots；　criminals　and　those　on　the　way　to　crime；　youths　who　are　burdens　on　hard…worked　parents；　men　who　appropriate　the　wages　of　their　wives；　fellows　who　share　the　gains　of　prostitutes；　and　then；　less　visible　and　less　numerous；　there　is　a　corresponding　class　of　women。　　　　　　Is　it　natural　that　happiness　should　be　the　lot　of　such？　or　is　it　natural　that　they　should　bring　unhappiness　on　themselves　and　those　connected　with　them？　Is　it　not　manifest　that　there　must　exist　in　our　midst　an　immense　amount　of　misery　which　is　a　normal　result　of　misconduct；　and　ought　not　to　be　dissociated　from　it？　The