the man versus the state-第7部分

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　very　highest　limit；　and　that　from　precedent　to　precedent；　tending　ever　in　the　same　direction；　the　load…line　would　gradually　rise　in　the　better　class　of　ships；　as　from　good　authority　I　learn　that　it　has　already　done。　Legislators　who；　some　forty　years　ago；　by　Act　of　Parliament　compelled　railway　companies　to　supply　cheap　locomotion；　would　have　ridiculed　the　belief；　had　it　been　expressed；　that　eventually　their　Act　would　punish　the　companies　which　improved　the　supply；　and　yet　this　was　the　result　to　compares　which　began　to　carry　third…class　passengers　by　fast　trains；　since　a　penalty　to　the　amount　of　the　passenger…duty　was　inflicted　on　them　for　every　third…class　passenger　so　carried。　To　which　instance　concerning　railways；　add　a　far　more　striking　one　disclosed　by　comparing　the　railway　policies　of　England　and　France。　The　lawmakers　who　provided　for　the　ultimate　lapsing　of　French　railways　to　the　State；　never　conceived　the　possibility　that　inferior　travelling　facilities　would　result　　did　not　foresee　that　reluctance　to　depreciate　the　value　of　property　eventually　coming　to　the　State；　would　negative　the　authorization　of　competing　lines　and　that　in　the　absence　of　competing　lines　locomotion　would　be　relatively　costly；　slow；　and　infrequent；　for；　as　Sir　Thomas　Farrer　has　lately　shown；　the　traveller　in　England　has　great　advantages　over　the　French　traveller　in　the　economy；　swiftness；　and　frequency　with　which　his　journeys　can　be　made。　　　　　　But　the　〃practical〃　politician　who；　in　spite　of　such　experiences　repeated　generation　after　generation；　goes　on　thinking　only　of　proximate　results；　naturally　never　thinks　of　results　still　more　remote；　still　more　general；　and　still　more　important　than　those　just　exemplified。　To　repeat　the　metaphor　used　above　　he　never　asks　whether　the　political　momentum　set　up　by　his　measure；　in　some　cases　decreasing　but　in　other　cases　greatly　increasing；　will　or　will　not　have　the　same　general　direction　with　other　like　momenta；　and　whether　it　may　not　join　them　in　presently　producing　an　aggregate　energy　working　changes　never　thought　of。　Dwelling　only　on　the　effects　of　his　particular　stream　of　legislation；　and　not　observing　how　other　such　streams　already　existing；　and　still　other　streams　which　will　follow　his　initiative；　pursue　the　same　average　course；　it　never　occurs　to　him　that　they　may　presently　unite　into　a　voluminous　flood　utterly　changing　the　face　of　things。　Or　to　leave　figures　for　a　more　literal　statement；　he　is　unconscious　of　the　truth　that　he　is　helping　to　form　a　certain　type　of　social　organization；　and　that　kindred　measures；　effecting　kindred　changes　of　organization；　tend　with　ever…increasing　force　to　make　that　type　general；　until；　passing　a　certain　point；　the　proclivity　towards　it　becomes　irresistible。　Just　as　each　society；　aims　when　possible　to　produce　in　other　societies　a　structure　akin　to　its　own　　just　as　among　the　Greeks；　the　Spartans　and　the　Athenians　struggled　to　spread　their　respective　political　institutions；　or　as；　at　the　time　of　the　French　Revolution；　the　European　absolute　monarchies　aimed　to　re…establish　absolute　monarchy　in　France　while　the　Republic　encouraged　the　formation　of　other　republics；　so　within　every　society；　each　species　of　structure　tends　to　propagate　itself。　Just　as　the　system　of　voluntary　co…operation　by　companies；　associations；　unions；　to　achieve　business　ends　and　other　ends；　spreads　throughout　a　community；　so　does　the　antagonistic　system　of　compulsory　co…operation　under　State…agencies　spread；　and　the　larger　becomes　its　extension　the　more　power　of　spreading　it　gets。　The　question　of　questions　for　the　politician　should　ever　be　　〃What　type　of　social　structure　am　I　tending　to　produce？〃　But　this　is　a　question　he　never　entertains。　　　　　　Here　we　will　entertain　it　for　him。　Let　us　now　observe　the　general　course　of　recent　changes；　with　the　accompanying　current　of　ideas；　and　see　whither　they　are　carrying　us。　

The　blank　form　of　a　question　daily　asked　is　　〃We　have　already　done　this；　why　should　we　not　do　that？〃　And　the　regard　for　precedent　suggested　by　it；　is　ever　pushing　on　regulative　legislation。　Having　had　brought　within　their　sphere　of　operation　more　and　more　numerous　businesses；　the　Acts　restricting　hours　of　employment　and　dictating　the　treatment　of　workers　are　now　to　be　made　applicable　to　shops。　From　inspecting　lodging…houses　to　limit　the　number　of　occupants　and　enforce　sanitary　conditions；　we　have　passed　to　inspecting　all　houses　below　a　certain　rent　in　which　there　are　members　of　more　than　one　family；　and　are　now　passing　to　a　kindred　inspection　of　all　small　houses。（4*）　The　buying　and　working　of　telegraphs　by　the　State　is　made　a　reason　for　urging　that　the　State　should　buy　and　work　the　railways。　Supplying　children　with　food　for　their　minds　by　public　agency　is　being　followed　in　some　cases　by　supplying　food　for　their　bodies；　and　after　the　practice　has　been　made　gradually　more　general；　we　may　anticipate　that　the　supply；　now　proposed　to　be　made　gratis　in　the　one　case；　will　eventually　be　proposed　to　be　made　gratis　in　the　other：　the　argument　that　good　bodies　as　well　as　good　minds　are　needful　to　make　good　citizens；　being　logically　urged　as　a　reason　for　the　extension。（5*）　And　then；　avowedly　proceeding　on　the　precedents　furnished　by　the　church；　the　school；　and　the　reading…room；　all　publicly　provided；　it　is　contended　that　〃pleasure；　in　the　sense　it　is　now　generally　admitted；　needs　legislating　for　and　organizing　at　least　as　much　as　work。〃（6*）　　　　　Not　precedent　only　prompts　this　spread；　but　also　the　necessity　which　arises　for　supplementing　ineffective　measures；　and　for　dealing　with　the　artificial　evils　continually　caused。　Failure　does　not　destroy　faith　in　the　agencies　employed；　but　merely　suggests　more　stringent　use　of　such　agencies　or　wider　ramifications　of　them。　Laws　to　check　intemperance；　beginning　in　early　times　and　coming　down　to　our　own　times；　when　further　restraints　on　the　sale　of　intoxicating　liquors　occupy　nights　every　session；　not　having　done　what　was　expected；　there　come　demands　for　more　thorough…going　laws；　locally　preventing　the　sale　altogether；　and　here；　as　in　America；　these　will　doubtless　be　followed　by　demands　that　prevention　shall　be　made　universal。　All　the　many　appliances　for　〃stamping　out〃　epidemic　diseases　not　having　succeeded　in　preventing　outbreaks　of　small…pox；　fevers；　and　the　like；　a　further　remedy　is　applied　for　in　the　shape　of　police…power；　to　search　houses　for　diseased　persons；　and　authority　for　medical　officers　to　examine　any　one　they　think　fit；　to　see　whether　he　or　she　is　suffering　from　an　infectious　or　contagious　malady。　Habits　of　improvidence　having　for　generations　been　cultivated　by　the　Poor　Law；　and　the　improvident　enabled　to　multiply；　the　evils　produced　by　compulsory　charity　are　now　proposed　to　be　met　by　compulsory　insurance。　　　　　　The　extension　of　this　policy；　causing　extension　of　corresponding　ideas；　fosters　everywhere　the　tacit　assumption　that　Government　should　step　in　whenever　anything　is　not　going　right。　〃Surely　you　would　not　have　this　misery　continue！〃　exclaims　someone；　if　you　hint　a　demurrer　to　much　that　is　now　being　said　and　done。　Observe　what　is　implied　by　this　exclamation。　It　takes　for　granted；　first；　that　all　suffering　ought　to　be　prevented；　which　is　not　true：　much　suffering　is　curative；　and　prevention　of　it　is　prevention　of　a　remedy。　In　the　second　place；　it　takes　for　granted　that　every　evil　can　be　removed：　the　truth　being　that　with　the　existing　defects　of　human　nature；　many　evils　can　only　be　thrust　out　of　one　place　or　form　into　another　place　or　form　often　being　increased　by　the　change。　The　exclamation　also　implies　the　unhesitating　belief；　here　especially　concerning　us；　that　evils　of　all　kinds　should　be　dealt　with　by　the　State。　There　does　not　occur　the　inquiry　whether　there　are　at　work　other　agencies　capable　of　dealing　with　evils；　and　whether　the　evils　in　question　may　not　be　among　those　which　are　best　dealt　with　by　these　other　agencies。　And　obviously；　the　more　numerous　governmental　interventions　become；　the　more　confirmed　does　this　habit　of　thought　grow；　and　the　more　loud　and　perpetual　the　demands　for　intervention。　　　　　　Every　extension　of　the　relative　policy　involves　an　addition　to　the　regulative　agents　　a　further　growth　of　officialism　and　an　increasing　power　of　the　organization　formed　of　officials。　Take　a　pair　of　scales　with　many　shot　in　the　one　and　a　few　in　the　other。　Lift　shot　after　shot　out　of　the　loaded　scale　and　put　it　into　the　unloaded　scale。　Presently　you　will　produce　a　balance；　and　if　you　go　on；　the　position　of　the　scales　will　be　reversed。　Suppose　the　beam　to　be　unequally　divided；　and　let　the　lightly　loaded　scale　be　at　the　end　of　a　very　long　arm；　then　the　transfer　of　each　shot；　producing　a　much　greater　effect；　will　far　sooner　bring　about　a　change　of　position。　I　use　the　figure　to　illustrate　what　results　from　transferring　one　individual　after　another　from　the　regulated　mass　of　the　community　to　the　regulating　structures。　The　transfer　weakens　the　one　and　strengthens　the　other　in　a　far　greater　degree　than　is　implied　by　the　relative　change　of　numbers。　A　comparatively　small　body　of　officials；　coherent；　having　common　interests；　and　acting　under　central　authority；　has　an　immense　advantage　over　an　incoherent　public　which　has　no　settled　policy；　and　can　be　brought　to　act　unitedly　only　under　strong　provocation。　Hence　an　organization　of　officials；　once　passing　a　certain　stage　of　growth；　becomes　less　and　less　resistible；　as　we　see　in　the　bureaucracies　of　the　Continent。　　　　　　Not　only　does　the　power　of　resistance　of　the　regulated　part　decrease　in　a　geometrical　ratio　as　the　regulating　part　increases；　but　the　private　interests　of　many　in　the　regulated　part　itself；　make　the　change　of　ratio　still　more　rapid。　In　every　circle　conversations　show　that　now；　when　the　passing　of　competitive　examinations　renders　them　eligible　for　the　public　service；　youths　are　being　educated　in　such　ways　that　they　may　pass　them　and　get　employment　under　Government。　One　consequence　is　that　men　who　might　otherwise　reprobate　some　further　growth　of　officialism；　are　led　to　look　on　it　with　tolerance；　if　not　favourably；　as　offering　possible　careers　for　those　dependent　on　them　and　those　related　to　them。　Any　one　who　remembers　the　numbers　of　upper…class　and　midd1e…class　families　anxious　to　place　their　children；　will　see　that　no　small　en