the man versus the state-第17章

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　the　presence　of　its　deputy；　the　combatants　have　been　pecuniarily　bled　even　to　the　extent　of　producing　prostration；　and　when　an　appeal　being　made　by　one　of　them　the　decision　is　reversed；　the　beaten　combatant　is　made　to　pay　for　the　blunders　of　the　deputy；　or　of　a　preceding　deputy；　and　not　unfrequently　the　wronged　man；　who　sought　protection　or　restitution；　is　taken　out　of　court　pecuniarily　dead。　　　　　　Adequately　done；　such　a　portrayal　of　governmental　misdeeds　of　commission　and　omission；　proving　that　the　partially…surviving　code　of　ethics　arising　in；　and　proper　to；　a　state　of　war；　still　vitiates　governmental　action；　might　greatly　moderate　the　hopes　of　those　who　are　anxious　to　extend　governmental　control。　After　observing　that　along　with　the　still…manifest　traits　of　that　primitive　political　structure　which　chronic　militancy　produces；　there　goes　a　still…manifest　survival　of　its　primitive　principles；　the　reformer　and　the　philanthropist　might　be　less　sanguine　in　their　anticipations　of　good　from　its　all…pervading　agency；　and　might　be　more　inclined　to　trust　agencies　of　a　non…governmental　kind。　　　　　　But　leaving　out　the　greater　part　of　the　large　topic　comprehended　under　the　title　of　this　article；　I　propose　here　to　deal　only　with　a　comparatively　small　remaining　part　　those　sins　of　legislators　which　are　not　generated　by　their　personal　ambitions　or　class　interests；　but　result　from　a　lack　of　the　study　by　which　they　are　morally　bound　to　prepare　themselves。　

　　　　A　druggist's　assistant　who；　after　listening　to　the　description　of　pains　which　he　mistakes　for　those　of　colic；　but　which　are　really　caused　by　inflammation　of　the　cecum；　prescribes　a　sharp　purgative　and　kills　the　patient；　is　found　guilty　of　manslaughter。　He　is　not　allowed　to　excuse　himself　on　the　ground　that　he　did　not　intend　harm　but　hoped　for　good。　The　plea　that　he　simply　made　a　mistake　in　his　diagnosis　is　not　entertained。　He　is　told　that　he　had　no　right　to　risk　disastrous　consequences　by　meddling　in　a　matter　concerning　which　his　knowledge　was　so　inadequate。　The　fact　that　he　was　ignorant　how　great　was　his　ignorance　is　not　accepted　in　bar　of　judgment。　It　is　tacitly　assumed　that　the　experience　common　to　all　should　have　taught　him　that　even　the　skilled；　and　much　more　the　unskilled；　make　mistakes　in　the　identification　of　disorders　and　in　the　appropriate　treatment；　and　that　having　disregarded　the　warning　derivable　from　common　experience；　he　was　answerable　for　the　consequences。　　　　　　We　measure　the　responsibilities　of　legislators　for　mischiefs　they　may　do；　in　a　much　more　lenient　fashion。　In　most　cases；　so　far　from　thinking　of　them　as　deserving　punishment　for　causing　disasters　by　laws　ignorantly　enacted；　we　scarcely　think　of　them　as　deserving　reprobation。　It　is　held　that　common　experience　should　have　taught　the　druggist's　assistant；　untrained　as　he　is；　not　to　interfere；　but　it　is　not　held　that　common　experience　should　have　taught　the　legislator　not　to　interfere　til1　he　has　trained　himself　Though　multitudinous　facts　are　before　him　in　the　recorded　legislation　of　our　own　country　and　of　other　countries；　which　should　impress　on　him　the　immense　evils　caused　by　wrong　treatment；　he　is　not　condemned　for　disregarding　these　warnings　against　rash　meddling。　Contrariwise；　it　is　thought　meritorious　in　him　when　　perhaps　lately　from　college；　perhaps　fresh　from　keeping　a　pack　of　hounds　which　made　him　popular　in　his　county；　perhaps　emerging　from　a　provincial　town　where　he　acquired　a　fortune；　perhaps　rising　from　the　bar　at　which　he　has　gained　a　name　as　an　advocate　　he　enters　Parliament；　and　forthwith；　in　quite　a　light…hearted　way；　begins　to　aid　or　hinder　this　or　that　means　of　operating　on　the　body　politic。　In　this　case　there　is　no　occasion　even　to　make　for　him　the　excuse　that　he　does　not　know　how　little　he　knows；　for　the　public　at　large　agrees　with　him　in　thinking　it　needless　that　he　should　know　anything　more　than　what　the　debates　on　the　proposed　measures　tell　him。　　　　　　And　yet　the　mischiefs　wrought　by　uninstructed　law…making；　enormous　in　their　amount　as　compared　with　those　caused　by　uninstructed　medical　treatment；　are　conspicuous　to　all　who　do　but　glance　over　its　history。　The　reader　must　pardon　me　while　I　recall　a　few　familiar　instances。　Century　after　century；　statesmen　went　on　enacting　usury　laws　which　made　worse　the　condition　of　the　debtor　　raising　the　rate　of　interest　〃from　five　to　six　when　intending　to　reduce　it　to　four；〃（5*）　as　under　Louis　XV　and　indirectly　producing　undreamt　of　evils　of　many　kinds；　such　as　preventing　the　reproductive　use　of　spare　capital；　and　〃burdening　the　small　proprietors　with　a　multitude　of　perpetual　services。〃（6*）　So；　too；　the　endeavours　which　in　England　continued　through　five　hundred　years　to　stop　forestalling；　and　which　in　France；　as　Arthur　Young　witnessed；　prevented　any　one　from　buying　〃more　than　two　bushels　of　wheat　at　market；〃（7*）　went　on　generation　after　generation　increasing　the　miseries　and　mortality　due　to　dearth；　for；　as　everybody　now　knows；　the　wholesale　dealer；　who　was　in　the　statute　〃De　Pistoribus〃　vituperated　as　〃an　open　oppressor　of　poor　people；〃（8*）　is　simply　one　whose　function　it　is　to　equalize　the　supply　of　a　commodity　by　checking　unduly　rapid　consumption。　Of　kindred　nature　was　the　measure　which；　in　1315；　to　diminish　the　pressure　of　famine；　prescribed　the　prices　of　foods；　but　which　was　hastily　repealed　after　it　had　caused　entire　disappearance　of　various　foods　from　the　markets；　and　also　such　measures；　more　continuously　operating；　as　those　which　settled　by　magisterial　order　〃the　reasonable　gains〃　of　victuallers。（9*）　Of　like　spirit　and　followed　by　allied　mischiefs　have　been　the　many　endeavours　to　fix　wages；　which　began　with　the　Statute　of　Labourers　under　Edward　III；　and　ceased　only　sixty　years　ago；　when；　having　long　galvanized　in　Spitalfields　a　decaying　industry；　and　fostered　there　a　miserable　population；　Lords　and　Commons　finally　gave　up　fixing　silk…weavers'　earnings　by　the　decisions　of　magistrates。　Here　I　imagine　an　impatient　interruption。　〃We　know　all　that；　the　story　is　stale。　The　mischiefs　of　interfering　with　trade　have　been　dinned　in　our　ears　till　we　are　weary；　and　no　one　needs　to　be　taught　the　lesson　afresh。〃　My　first　reply　is　that　by　the　great　majority　the　lesson　was　never　properly　learnt　at　all；　and　that　many　of　those　who　did　learn　it　have　forgotten　it。　For　just　the　same　pleas　which　of　old　were　put　in　for　these　dictations；　are　again　put　in。　In　the　statute　35　of　Edward　III；　which　aimed　to　keep　down　the　price　of　herrings　（but　was　soon　repealed　because　it　raised　the　price）；　it　was　complained　that　people　〃coming　to　the　fair。。。　do　bargain　for　herring；　and　every　of　them；　by　malice　and　envy；　increase　upon　other；　and；　if　one　proffer　forty　shillings；　another　will　proffer　ten　shillings　more；　and　the　third　sixty　shillings；　and　so　every　one　surmounteth　other　in　the　bargain。〃（10*）　And　now　the　〃higgling　of　the　market；〃　here　condemned　and　ascribed　to　〃malice　and　envy；〃　is　being　again　condemned。　The　evils　of　competition　have　all　along　been　the　stock　cry　of　the　Socialists；　and　the　council　of　the　Democratic　Federation　denounces　the　carrying　on　of　exchange　under　〃the　control　of　individual　greed　and　profit。〃　My　second　reply　is　that　interferences　with　the　law　of　supply　and　demand；　whic