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A Plea for Liberty: An Argument Against Socialism and Socialistic Legislation
This collection of essays was originally published in 1891, at a time when the modern welfare state was first taking shape. The theoretical and empirical contributions are fine examples of the classical liberal tradition in British thought.
- GenresPolitics
563 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1891
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 29, 2020
A collection of essays written by various late 19th century British libertarians (or "Individualists" as they called themselves) associated with the Liberty and Property Defense League. Something of a mixed bag. The lead essay by Herbert Spencer, "From Freedom to Bondage" is quite good, as is the closing essay by Spencer's most well-known follower, Auberon Herbert. The others are of varying quality.
Wordsworth Donisthorpe's essay is notable for its rejection of both natural law and utilitarian justifications of libertarianism. Donisthorpe is something of a Hobbesian positivist, which puts him in a rather unique position in the libertarian intellectual tradition, and is worth reading for that reason alone.
Frederick Millar's essay on "The Evils of State Trading as Illustrated by the Post Office" is nicely done, and shows that discontent with the state-run postal service is not a uniquely modern nor a uniquely American experience.
“Who has not suffered under the discourtesy of the officials, both male and female, employed by
the Post Office to attend to the wants of its customers? ... One does not find such a state of affairs
existing in any private establishment. A customer enters a draper’s, tailor’s, or other shop, and
meets with courtesy and pleasantness, and is served with promptitude. A spirit of discourtesy in
such places would drive customers away. But in the Post Office it is different: the customer has no
remedy; he cannot go elsewhere to get his postal wants supplied. The officials know this, hence
their attitude towards the helpless public. Let the shopping public contemplate what shopping
would be under socialism, when every article would have to be purchased in establishments
conducted in the same discourteous manner as the Post Office, and their bias will be anything but
socialist."
The most laughable essay of the bunch is M.D. O'Brien's diatribe against the "literary socialism" of free public libraries. On reading it, one begins to suspect that some clever Fabian actually managed to sneak this essay into the collection as a bit of satire. "If the working man cannot come by his books honestly," writes O'Brien, "let him wait until he can." After all, working folks seem to find plenty of money to spend on alcohol and tobacco, so why can't they buy their books on their own instead of LITERALLY STEALING THEM which is basically what public libraries are, right?
"It is difficult to see any real difference between the man who goes boldly into his neighbor's
house and carries off his neighbor's books, and the man who joins with a majority, and on the
authority of the ballot-box, send the tax-gatherer round to carry off the value of those books."
The overall focus of the book on issues of so-called "municipal socialism" will strike many contemporary readers as odd. Lots of discussion of the "New Unionism" but also a lot of material on libraries, the postal system, the provision of electricity and the establishment of hygienic standards. Still, there's some gems in here, and for the historically inclined, it's a nice peak into the world of the late 19th century British libertarian movement.
Wordsworth Donisthorpe's essay is notable for its rejection of both natural law and utilitarian justifications of libertarianism. Donisthorpe is something of a Hobbesian positivist, which puts him in a rather unique position in the libertarian intellectual tradition, and is worth reading for that reason alone.
Frederick Millar's essay on "The Evils of State Trading as Illustrated by the Post Office" is nicely done, and shows that discontent with the state-run postal service is not a uniquely modern nor a uniquely American experience.
“Who has not suffered under the discourtesy of the officials, both male and female, employed by
the Post Office to attend to the wants of its customers? ... One does not find such a state of affairs
existing in any private establishment. A customer enters a draper’s, tailor’s, or other shop, and
meets with courtesy and pleasantness, and is served with promptitude. A spirit of discourtesy in
such places would drive customers away. But in the Post Office it is different: the customer has no
remedy; he cannot go elsewhere to get his postal wants supplied. The officials know this, hence
their attitude towards the helpless public. Let the shopping public contemplate what shopping
would be under socialism, when every article would have to be purchased in establishments
conducted in the same discourteous manner as the Post Office, and their bias will be anything but
socialist."
The most laughable essay of the bunch is M.D. O'Brien's diatribe against the "literary socialism" of free public libraries. On reading it, one begins to suspect that some clever Fabian actually managed to sneak this essay into the collection as a bit of satire. "If the working man cannot come by his books honestly," writes O'Brien, "let him wait until he can." After all, working folks seem to find plenty of money to spend on alcohol and tobacco, so why can't they buy their books on their own instead of LITERALLY STEALING THEM which is basically what public libraries are, right?
"It is difficult to see any real difference between the man who goes boldly into his neighbor's
house and carries off his neighbor's books, and the man who joins with a majority, and on the
authority of the ballot-box, send the tax-gatherer round to carry off the value of those books."
The overall focus of the book on issues of so-called "municipal socialism" will strike many contemporary readers as odd. Lots of discussion of the "New Unionism" but also a lot of material on libraries, the postal system, the provision of electricity and the establishment of hygienic standards. Still, there's some gems in here, and for the historically inclined, it's a nice peak into the world of the late 19th century British libertarian movement.
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September 23, 2010A Plea for Liberty: An Argument Against Socialism and Socialistic Legislation (Liberty Classics) by Thomas Mackay (1982)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews