The Article on Radical Reform: From the Westminster Review, No. XXIII, for January 1830 (Classic Reprint)

Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Article on Radical Reform: From the Westminster Review, No. XXIII, for January 1830 Now as no comparison holds good beyond certain limits, so it happens in the present case, that there are two striking points in which the great joint-stock company called a state or political community, differs from the others to which it may have been compared. And these are, First, that the sacrifices demanded of the holders of the smaller stakes, are absolutely greater than those demanded from the larger; and, Secondly, that on the supposition that each individual had a_vote alike, there are naturally-existing causes why the influence of the holders of the great stakes over the others, - or in other Words, of the rich over the poor, - if not greater than was desirable for any good efl'ect it would have' on the common interest, would at all events not be less. Compare now the sacrifices which a poor man is continually called upon to make to what is stated (and perhaps justly) to be for the welfare of the community. Weigh, for example, the loss and suffering to which every poor man of certain years is liable from being called on to serve in the militia, with the loss and suffering; the rich man encounters from seeing the price of a substitute charged against his rental. Take the case of any other tax, and compare the relative ettect of what falls on the possessor of the single ewe lamb, with' what falls on the owner of the flocks on a thousand hills. Thence collect the evidence and the proof, that the poor have in reality a much more urgent ersonal stake in the management of the common stock, than t e rich - add to it the testimony of history that the rich, by hook or by crook, have always contrived to take care of themselves - and see if the resulting conclusion is not, that the goodness of a government is measured by the degree in which the poor, and not the rich, have the power to take care of themselves, - in the same manner as the goodness of a crutch is measured by its fitting the lame side and not the sound. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.