LAND NATIONALIZATION 267 



more than the mere number of idle people, that is the dead weight 

 which keeps thousands starving in the midst of so much wealth. When 

 mere extravagant luxuries are less in demand great masses of 

 labourers will be set free to produce the necessaries and comforts of 

 life; and these will be more abundant and cheaper (whatever their 

 money price may be), and if all those who are now idle aid in the 

 production of these necessaries and comforts, it is evident that, with 

 free exchange, none can want. 



I would particularly call attention to the fact that the results here 

 indicated would be all brought about by carrying out the true system 

 of laissez-faire now so much abused as if it had failed, when really 

 it has never been tried. Labour, the sole source of all wealth and well- 

 being, has been fettered in all her limbs, and harassed in all her 

 actions, and then because she often stumbles or faints by the way, 

 they cry, " See, she cannot do without help ! " But first unloose your 

 bonds, and cease to hamper her with your legal meshes, and then see 

 if she will not achieve a glorious success. Let Government do its 

 duty, and no more. Let it secure peace from external foes, and safety 

 from internal violence; let it give free and speedy justice between man 

 and man ; let it secure to all alike free access to the land and all 

 natural powers ; let it abolish every monopoly of individuals and 

 classes — either the local or central authority having the management 

 of all institutions or industries which are essential to the public wel- 

 fare, but which in private hands tend to become monopolies ; and let 

 it enact that all debts contracted by individuals shall be payable by 

 those individuals only, and those contracted by the municipality or 

 State be payable by the generation which contracts them, so that they 

 may never remain a burden on the succeeding generation. When it 

 has done all this, then alone will labour be really free, and, being free> 

 it will work out the well-being of the whole community without any 

 Government interference whatever. This is the true laissez-faire ; and 

 this, I believe, will enable us to realize the best social state which, 

 in its present phase of development, humanity is capable of. The 

 distant future will take care of itself; let us try to improve the future 

 that is immediately before us. I have here very briefly and imperfectly 

 sketched out a series of measures which I believe are best calculated 

 to promote this object, and they have the great and inestimable ad- 

 vantage that they all tend to the diminution of governmental inter- 

 ference with labour and industry, instead of that indefinite increase of 

 it which the German Socialists advocate, and which, as the greatest 

 political thinkers maintain, and as all experience shows, must inevitably 

 fail, while in the present condition of civilization it will probably lead 

 to evils not less grave than those it attempts to cure. 



At this time I was in correspondence with Mr. Robert Mil- 



