Ans. Certainly, when the other men are not strong enough to tax
the million.
5. "Should not each adult inhabitant of a country (who performs
service equivalent in value to his or her use of the service of other
inhabitants) have electoral rights granted equal to those granted to
any other inhabitant?"
Ans. Heaven forbid! It is not everybody one would set to choose a
horse, or a pig. How much less a member of Parliament?
6. "Is it not an injustice for a State to require or try to enforce,
allegiance to the State from self-supporting adults, who have never
been permitted to share in the framing or endorsing of the laws they
are expected to obey?"
Ans. Certainly not. Laws are usually most beneficial in operation on
the people who would have most strongly objected to their enactment.
7. "The Parliament of this country is now almost exclusively composed
of representatives of the classes whose time is mostly occupied in
consuming and destroying. Is this statement true? If true--is it
right that it should be so?"
Ans. The statement is untrue. A railway navvy consumes, usually,
about six times as much as an average member of Parliament; and I
know nothing which members of Parliament kill, except time, which
other people would not kill, if they were allowed to. It is the
Parliamentary tendency to preservation, rather than to destruction,
which I have mostly heard complained of.
8. "The State undertakes the carriage and delivery of letters. Would
it be just as consistent and advisable for the State to undertake
the supply of unadulterated and wholesome food, clean and healthy
dwellings, elementary, industrial, and scientific instruction,
medical assistance, a national paper money, and other necessities?"
Ans. All most desirable. But the tax-gatherers would have a busy life
of it!
9. "Should not a State represent the co-operation of all the people
of a country, for the benefit of all?"
Ans. You mean, I suppose, by "a State" the Government of a State. The
Government cannot "represent" such co-operation; but can enforce it,
and should.
10. "Is the use of scarce metals as material of which to make
'currency,' economical and beneficent to a nation?"
Ans. No; but often necessary: see 'Munera Pulveris,' chap. iii.
11. "Is that a right condition of a people, their laws, and their money
which makes 'interest' for use of money legal and possible to obtain?"
Ans. See 'Fors Clavigera,' throughout, which indeed I have written
to save you the trouble of asking questions on such subjects.
It might be well if my Republican correspondent for his own benefit,
would write down an exact definition of the following terms used
by him:--
1. "Private property."
2. "Tax."
3. "State."