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proposed roads to freedom(通往自由之路)-第29部分

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                              PROPOSED ROADS TO FREEDOM 



dimly the passions and promises of their electoral campaign; they come to 

feel it   an   essential   part   of   statesmanship to   consider   what   are   called   the 

interests     of   the  community        as   a  whole;     rather   than    those    of   some 

discontented   group;   but   the   interests   of   the   community   as   a   whole   are 

sufficiently vague to be easily seen to coincide with self…interest。 All these 

causes lead Parliaments to betray the people; consciously or unconsciously; 

and    it  is  no   wonder     if  they   have    produced      a  certain   aloofness     from 

democratic theory in the more vigorous champions of labor。 

     Majority rule; as it exists in large States; is subject to the fatal defect 

that; in a very great number of questions; only a fraction of the nation have 

any   direct   interest   or   knowledge;   yet   the   others   have   an   equal   voice   in 

their settlement。 When people have no direct interest in a question they are 

very apt to be influenced by irrelevant considerations; this is shown in the 

extraordinary       reluctance     to  grant    autonomy      to   subordinate     nations     or 

groups。 For this reason; it is very dangerous to allow the nation as a whole 

to   decide   on   matters   which   concern   only   a   small   section;   whether   that 

section be geographical or industrial or defined in any other way。 The best 

cure for   this   evil;  so   far   as   can   be  seen   at   present;  lies in   allowing   self… 

government   to   every  important   group   within   a   nation   in   all   matters   that 

affect that group   much more than   they affect the   rest of the   community。 

The government of a group; chosen by the group; will be far more in touch 

with its constituents; far more conscious of their interests; than a remote 

Parliament   nominally   representing   the   whole   country。  The   most   original 

idea   in   Syndicalism   adopted   and   developed   by  the   Guild   Socialistsis 

the idea of making industries self…governing units so far as their internal 

affairs are concerned。 By this method; extended also to such other groups 

as have clearly separable interests; the evils which have shown themselves 

in representative democracy can; I believe; be largely overcome。 

     Guild   Socialists;   as   we  have  seen;   have  another   suggestion;  growing 

naturally out of the autonomy of industrial guilds; by which they hope to 

limit the power of the State and help to preserve individual liberty。 They 

propose      that;  in   addition    to  Parliament;      elected    (as  at  present)     on   a 

territorial basis and representing the community as consumers; there shall 

also   be   a   ‘‘Guild   Congress;''   a   glorified   successor   of   the   present   Trade 



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Union      Congress;     which    shall   consist    of  representatives      chosen    by   the 

Guilds; and shall represent the community as producers。 

     This method of diminishing the excessive power of the State has been 

attractively   set   forth   by   Mr。   G。   D。   H。   Cole   in   his   ‘‘Self…Government   in 

Industry。'''54' ‘‘Where now;'' he says; ‘‘the State passes a Factory Act; or a 

Coal   Mines   Regulation Act;   the   Guild   Congress   of   the   future   will   pass 

such Acts; and its power of enforcing them will be the same as that of the 

State'' (p。 98)。 His ultimate ground for advocating this system is that; in his 

opinion;   it   will   tend   to   preserve   individual   liberty:   ‘‘The      fundamental 

reason for the preservation; in a democratic Society; of both the industrial 

and the political forms of Social organization is; it seems to me; that only 

by dividing the vast power now wielded by industrial capitalism can the 

individual hope to be free'' (p。 91)。 

       '54' Bell; 1917。 

       Will the system suggested by Mr。 Cole have this result? I think it is 

clear   that   it   would;   in   this   respect;   be   an   improvement   on   the   existing 

system。      Representative       government       cannot     but   be   improved      by   any 

method       which    brings    the   representatives       into   closer   touch    with    the 

interests concerned in their legislation; and this advantage probably would 

be secured by handing over questions of production to the Guild Congress。 

But   if;   in   spite   of   the   safeguards   proposed   by   the   Guild   Socialists;   the 

Guild Congress became all…powerful in such questions; if resistance to its 

will by a Guild which felt ill…used became practically hopeless; I fear that 

the   evils   now   connected   with   the   omnipotence   of   the   State   would   soon 

reappear。     Trade    Union     officials;   as   soon   as   they   become      part  of   the 

governing        forces    in   the    country;    tend     to   become      autocratic     and 

conservative;   they   lose   touch   with   their   constituents   and   gravitate;   by   a 

psychological sympathy; into co…operation with the powers that be。 Their 

formal      installation    in   authority    through     the   Guilds     Congress      would 

accelerate this process。 They would soon tend to combine; in effect if not 

obviously;      with   those    who    wield    authority    in  Parliament。      Apart    from 

occasional      conflicts;    comparable      to   the  rivalry   of   opposing     financiers 

which now sometimes disturbs the harmony of the capitalist world; there 

would; at most times; be agreement between the dominant personalities in 



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                             PROPOSED ROADS TO FREEDOM 



the two Houses。 And such harmony would filch away from the individual 

the liberty which he had hoped to secure by the quarrels of his masters。 

     There     is  no   method;     if  we    are  not   mistaken;     by   which    a   body 

representing the whole community; whether as producers or consumers or 

both; can alone be a sufficient guardian of individual liberty。 The only way 

of   preserving   sufficient   liberty   (and   even   this   will   be   inadequate   in   the 

case of very small minorities) is the organization of citizens with special 

interests   into   groups;   determined   to   preserve   autonomy   as   regards   their 

internal affairs; willing to resist interference by a strike if necessary; and 

sufficiently     powerful     (either   in  themselves      or  through    their   power    of 

appealing to public sympathy) to be able to resist the organized forces of 

government successfully when their cause is such as many men think just。 

If   this   method     is  to  be   successful     we   must    have    not   only   suitable 

organizations   but   also   a   diffused   respect   for   liberty;   and   an   absence   of 

submissiveness to government both in theory and practice。 Some risk of 

disorder     there   must    be  in   such   a  society;   but   this  risk  is  as  nothing 

compared   to   the   danger   of   stagnation   which   is   inseparable   from   an   all… 

powerful central authority。 

     We may now sum up our discussion of the powers of Government。 

     The     State;   in  spite   of   what    Anarchists     urge;   seems     a  necessary 

institution     for  certain    purposes。    Peace    and    war;   tariffs;  regulation    of 

sanitary conditions and of the sale of noxious drugs; the preservation of a 

just system of distribution: these; among others; are functions which could 

hardly     be   performed     in  a   community      in   which    there   was    no  central 

government。 Take; for example; the liquor traffic; or the opium traffic in 

China。   If   alcohol   could   be   obtained   at   cost   price   without   taxation;   still 

more if it could be obtained for nothing; as Anarchists presumably desire; 

can we believe that there would not be a great and disastrous increase of 

drunkenness? China was brought to the verge of ruin by opium; and every 

patriotic Chinaman desired to see the traffic in opium restricted。 In such 

matters   freedom   is   not   a   panacea;   and   some   degree   of   legal   restriction 

seems imperative for the national health。 

     But granting that the State; in some form; must continue; we must also 

grant; I think; that its powers ought to be very strictly limited to what is 



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absolutely   necessary。   There   is   no   way   of   limiting   its   powers   except   by 

means of groups which are jealous of their privileges and
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