HAPPY INDIA 115 



share in the prosperity, and in my opinion before 

 we quarrel with each other about the division of 

 the wealth it would be well to have something to 

 divide ; before we quarrel with each other about 

 the government of the country, it would be well 

 to have a country that is worth governing. Now, if 

 we have a people that are well fed, sufficiently clothed 

 and well housed, then we have a country that any 

 man might be proud to govern, then we can consider 

 the problems of autocratic, aristocratic and demo- 

 cratic government. But whatever may be the form 

 of government which the Indian people eventually 

 adopt, there is one thing they will learn, and that 

 is that all government is bad, it is in its nature and 

 essence bad. What we have to look forward to, 

 what we hope for, is that some day there will be no 

 government. I do not mean that there will be no 

 directors and no advisors, but that there will be 

 no compulsion. That people will do right because it 

 is right. So long as compulsion exists, government 

 must be bad. The only thing that can be said in 

 favour of any government is that it is not so bad as 

 the alternative government. 



If the Indians govern themselves, we may be quite 

 sure that their government will be bad. The ques- 

 tion for them to consider will be : Is the government 

 better that that which preceded it, or is it worse ? 

 bearing this rule in mind, that the more governors 

 any nation has the worse, because the more rulers 

 they have the more time they have to interfere with 

 people who are doing work. 



