the vested interests and the common man-第22节

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self…determination　runs　counter　to　the　rule　of　Live　and　let　live。　
After　the　same　fashion　the　businesslike　manoeuvres　of　the　vested　
interests　within　the　nations；　each　managing　its　own　affairs　with　
an　eye　single　to　its　own　advantage；　deranges　the　ordinary　
conditions　of　life　for　the　common　man；　and　violates　the　rule　of　
Live　and　let　live　by　that　much。　Self…determination；　full　and　
free；　necessarily　encroaches　on　the　conditions　of　life　for　all　
the　others。　
　　　　So；　just　now　there　is　talk　of　disallowing　or　abridging　the　
inalienable　right　of　free　nations　by　so　much　as　is　imperatively　
demanded　for　reasonably　secure　conditions　of　life　among　these　
civilised　peoples；　and　especially　so　far　as　is　required　for　the　
orderly　pursuit　of　profitable　business　by　the　many　vested　
interests　domiciled　in　these　civilised　countries。　The　project　has　
much　in　common　with　the　measures　which　have　been　entertained　for　
the　restraint　of　any　insufferably　extortionate　vested　interests　
within　the　national　frontiers。　
　　　　In　both　cases　alike；　both　in　the　proposed　regulation　of　
businesslike　excesses　at　home　and　in　the　proposed　league　of　
pacific　nations；　the　projected　measures　of　sobriety　and　tolerance　
appear　to　be　an　infraction　of　that　inalienable　right　of　
self…direction　that　makes　up　the　substantial　core　of　law　and　
custom　according　to　the　modern　point　of　view。　There　is　much　alarm　
felt　by　the　demagogues　at　the　danger　which　is　said　to　threaten　
the　national　〃sovereignty〃；　just　as　the　vested　interests　are　
volubly　apprehensive　of　the　〃sacred　rights　of　property。〃　And　in　
both　cases　alike　the　projected　measure　of　sobriety；　tolerance　and　
incidental　infraction　are　designed　to　go　no　farther　than　is　
unequivocally　demanded　by　the　imperative　needs　of　continued　life　
on　earth；　leaving　the　benefit　of　the　doubt　always　on　the　side　of　
the　insufferable　vested　interests　or　the　mischievous　national　
ambitions；　as　the　case　may　be；　and　leaving　the　impression　that　it　
all　is　a　concessive　surrender　of　principles　under　compulsion　of　
circumstances　that　will　not　wait。　There　is　also　in　both　cases　
alike　a　well…assured　likelihood　that　the　tentative　revision　of　
vested　interests　and　of　national　pretensions　is　to　be　no　more　
than　an　incompetent　remedial　precaution；　a　makeshift　shelter　from　
the　wrath　to　come。　
　　　　It　is　evident　that　in　both　cases　alike　we　have　to　do　with　an　
incursion　of　ideas　and　considerations　that　are　alien　to　the　
established　liberal　principles　of　human　intercourse；　but　it　is　
also　evident　that　these　ideas　and　considerations　have　the　
sanction　of　that　new　order　of　things　that　runs　in　terms　of　
tangible　performance　and　enforces　its　requisitions　with　cruel　and　
unusual　punishments。　It　is　these　punishments　that　are　to　be　
evaded　or　suspended；　and　immunity　is　sought　by　diplomatic　
measures　of　formality　and　delay　rather　than　by　tangible　
performance。　In　such　a　case　the　keepers　of　the　established　order　
will　always　look　to　evasion　and　entertain　a　hope　of　avoiding　
casualties　and　holding　the　line　by　the　use　of　a　cleverly　designed　
masquerade。　
　　　　It　is　the　express　purpose　of　the　projected　league　of　pacific　
nations　to　keep　the　sovereign　rights　of　national　
self…determination　intact　for　all　comers；　it　is　to　be　a　league　of　
nations；　not　a　league　of　peoples。　But　it　should　be　sufficiently　
obvious；　whether　it　is　avowed　or　not；　that　these　sovereign　rights　
can　be　maintained　by　these　means　only　in　a　mutilated　form。　Within　
the　framework　of　any　such　league　or　common　understanding　the　
nations；　each　and　several；　can　continue　to　exercise　these　rights　
only　on　the　basis　of　a　mutual　agreement　to　give　up　so　much　of　
their　national　pretensions　as　are　patently　incompatible　with　the　
common　good。　It　involves　a　concessive　surrender　of　the　sovereign　
right　of　self…aggrandisement；　and　perhaps　also　an　extension　of　
the　rule　of　Live　and　let　live　to　cover　minor　nationalities　within　
the　national　frontiers；　a　mutual　agreement　to　play　fair　under　the　
new　rules　that　are　to　govern　the　conduct　of　national　enterprise。　
Any　injunction　to　play　fair　is　an　infraction　of　national　
sovereignty。　Hitherto　no　liberal　statesman　has　been　so　audacious　
as　to　〃imagine　the　king's　death〃　and　lay　profane　hands　on　the　
divine　right　of　nations　to　seek　their　own　advantage　at　the　cost　
of　the　rest　by　such　means　as　the　rule　of　reason　shall　decide　to　
be　permissible。　It　is　only　that　licence　is　to　be　hedged　about；　
and　all　insufferable　superfluity　of　naughtiness　is　provisionally　
to　be　disallowed。　There　is　this　evident　resemblance　and　kinship　
between　the　vested　interests　of　business　and　the　sovereign　rights　
of　nations；　but　it　does　not　amount　to　identity。　
　　　　There　is　always　something　more　to　the　national　sovereignty　
and　the　national　pretensions；　although　these　precautionary　
measures　that　are　now　under　advisement　as　touches　the　legitimate　
bounds　of　both　do　run　on　singularly　similar　lines　and　are　of　a　
similarly　tentative　and　equivocal　nature。　In　the　prudent　measures　
by　which　statesmen　have　set　themselves　to　curb　the　excesses　of　
the　greater　vested　interests　within　the　nation　their　aim　has　
quite　consistently　been　to　guard　the　free　income　of　the　lesser　
vested　interests　against　the　unseasonable　rapacity　of　the　greater　
ones；　all　the　while　that　the　underlying　community　has　come　into　
the　case　only　as　a　fair　field　of　business　enterprise　at　large；　
within　which　there　is　to　be　maintained　a　reasonable　degree　of　
equal　opportunity　among　these　interests；　big　and　little；　in　whom；　
one　with　another；　vests　the　effectual　usufruct　of　the　underlying　
community。　
　　　　It　may　be　necessary　to　remark；　by　way　of　parenthesis；　that　
while　this　description　of　these　corrective　measures　may　seem　to　
hint　at　a　fault；　that　is　by　no　means　its　purpose。　The　fault　may　
be　there；　of　course；　but　if　so　it　has　no　bearing　on　the　argument　
at　this　point。　It　should　also　be　remarked　in　the　same　connection　
that　this　description　of　facts　does　not　overlook　the　
well…conceived　verbal　reservations　and　preambles　with　which　
cautious　statesmen　habitually　surround　the　common　good　in　the　
face　of　any　unseasonable　rapacity　on　the　part　of　the　greater　
vested　interests；　it　is　only　that　the　run　of　the　facts　has　been　
quite　patently　to　the　effect　so　indicated。　In　the　same　connection　
it　may　also　not　be　out　of　place　to　recall　that　a　vested　interest　
is　a　prescriptive　right　to　get　something　for　nothing；　in　which　
again　the　kinship　and　resemblance　between　vested　interests　in　
business　and　the　sovereign　rights　of　nations　comes　into　view。　
　　　　So；　on　the　other　hand；　the　great　war　has　brought　into　a　
strong　light　the　obvious　fact　that；　given　the　existing　state　of　
the　industrial　arts；　any　unseasonable　rapacity　on　the　part　of　the　
great　Powers　in　exercising　their　inalienable　right　of　national　
self…determination　will　effectually　suppress　the　similarly　
inalienable　right　of　self…determination　in　any　minor　nationality　
that　gets　in　the　way。　All　of　which　is　obnoxious　to　the　liberal　
principle　of　self…help　or　to　that　of　equal　opportunity。　
Unhappily；　these　two　guiding　principles　of　the　modern　point　of　
view　self…help　and　equal　opportunity　　have　proved　to　be　
incompatible　with　one　another　under　the　circumstances　of　the　new　
order　of　things。　So　there　has　come　into　view　this　project　of　a　
league；　by　which　it　is　proposed　to　play　fast　and　loose　with　the　
inalienable　right　of　national　self…help　by　setting　up　some　sort　
of　a　collusive　arrangement　between　the　Powers；　a　conspiracy　in　
restraint　of　national　intrigue；　looking　to　a　reasonable　
disallowance　of　force　and　fraud　in　the　pursuit　of　national　
ambitions。　
　　　　Under　the　material　circumstances　of　the　new　order　those　
correctives　that　were　once　counted　on　to　keep　the　run　of　things　
within　the　margin　of　tolerance　have　ceased　to　be　a　sufficient　
safeguard。　By　use　and　wont；　in　the　Liberal　scheme　of　statecraft　
as　well　as　in　the　scheme　of　freely　competitive　business；　implicit　
faith　has　hitherto　been　given　to　the　remedial　effect　of　punitive　
competition　and　the　punitive　correction　of　excesses　by　law　and　
custom。　It　has　been　a　system　of　adjustment　by　punitive　
afterthought。　All　of　which　may　once　have　been　well　enough　in　its　
time；　so　long　as　the　rate　and　scale　of　the　movement　of　things　
were　slow　enough　and　small　enough　to　be　effectually　overtaken　and　
set　to　rights　by　afterthought。　The　modern　　eighteenth…century　
　point　of　view　presumes　an　order　of　things　which　is　amenable　to　
remedial　adjustment　after　the　event。　But　the　new　order　of　
industry；　and　that　sweeping　equilibrium　of　material　forces　that　
embodies　the　new　order；　is　not　amenable　to　afterthought。　Where　
human　life　and　human　fortunes　are　exposed　to　the　swing　of　the　
machine　system；　or　to　the　onset　of　national　ambitions　that　are　
served　by　the　machine　industry；　it　is　safety　first　or　none。　
However；　ripe　statesmen　and　over…ripe　captains　of　finance　have　so　
secure　a　grasp　of　first　principles　that　they　are　still　able　to　
believe　quite　sincerely　in　the　good　old　plan　of　remedial　
afterthought；　and　it　still　commands　the　affectionate　service　of　
the　jurists　and　the　diplomatic　corps。　Meantime　the　far…reaching；　
swift…moving；　wide…sweeping　m