From Violence to Police Force 179 



to a police force, charged with the duty of prevent- 

 ing aggression and maintaining order. And in 

 proportion as the motives for aggression dis- 

 appear, even the poHce force can be reduced to a 

 minimum. 



The process may be clearly followed in the 

 history of the western mining towns of America, 

 where at first every man has to depend upon 

 his own six-shooter for defence against the ever- 

 present danger of attack. When a strong public 

 opinion arises, which makes such acts of aggression 

 as horse-stealing, or "shooting up the town," 

 immoral acts, the citizens, impelled by their 

 common need for defence, co-operate in forming 

 a vigilance committee, or a Law and Order League. 

 Later, it is found advantageous to delegate this 

 defensive function to a sheriff, and the work of 

 establishing courts of justice, and a regular police 

 force rapidly proceeds. It is in the motives for 

 aggression, then, that we find the centre of gravity 

 of the problem of force in human relations. In 

 proportion as men believe that military force can 

 be used effectively for purposes of aggression, to 

 advance their national welfare, the danger of 

 attack will be always present, and, what is more 

 important, they will be unwilling to co-operate 

 in any form of federation or international police 

 force, because this would imply the giving up of 

 part of that "sovereignty," which means the 

 right of attacking one's neighbour whenever it 

 may seem that aggression would be advantageous. 



