the vested interests and the common man-第27章

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condition　his　livelihood　under　this　new　order　drive　him　to　fall　
back　on　the　underlying　rule　of　Live　and　Let　Live；　and　to　revise　
the　established　code　of　law　and　custom　to　such　purpose　that　this　
underlying　rule　of　life　shall　be　brought　into　bearing　in　point　of　
fact　as　well　as　in　point　of　legal　formality。　And　the　training　to　
which　the　hard　matter…of…fact　logic　of　the　machine　industry　and　
the　mechanical　organisation　of　life　now　subjects　him；　constantly　
bends　him　to　a　matter…of…fact　outlook；　to　a　rating　of　men　and　
things　in　terms　of　tangible　performance；　and　to　an　ever　slighter　
respect　for　the　traditional　principles　that　have　come　down　from　
the　eighteenth　century。　The　common　man　is　constantly　and　
increasingly　exposed　to　the　risk　of　becoming　an　undesirable　
citizen　in　the　eyes　of　the　votaries　of　law　and　order。　In　other　
words；　vested　rights　to　free　income　are　no　longer　felt　to　be　
secure　in　case　the　common　man　should　take　over　the　direction　of　
affairs。　
　　　　Such　a　vested　right　to　free　income；　that　is　to　say　this　
legitimate　right　of　the　kept　classes　to　their　keep　at　the　cost　of　
the　underlying　community；　does　not　fall　in　with　the　lines　of　that　
mechanistic　outlook　and　mechanistic　logic　which　is　forever　
gaining　ground　as　the　new　order　of　industry　goes　forward。　Such　
free　income；　which　measures　neither　the　investor's　personal　
contribution　to　the　production　of　goods　nor　his　necessary　
consumption　while　engaged　in　industry；　does　not　fit　in　with　that　
mechanistic　reckoning　that　runs　in　terms　of　tangible　performance；　
and　that　grows　ever　increasingly　habitual　and　convincing　with　
every　further　habituation　to　the　new　order　of　things　in　the　
industrial　world。　Vested　perquisites　have　no　place　in　the　new　
scheme　of　things；　hence　the　new　scheme　is　a　menace。　It　is　true；　
the　well　stabilised　principles　of　the　eighteenth　century　still　
continue　to　rate　the　investor　as　a　producer　of　goods；　but　it　is　
equally　true　that　such　a　rating　is　palpable　nonsense　according　to　
the　mechanistic　calculus　of　the　new　order；　brought　into　bearing　
by　the　mechanical　industry　and　material　science。　This　may　all　be　
an　untoward　and　distasteful　turn　of　circumstances；　but　there　is　
no　gain　of　tranquillity　to　be　got　from　ignoring　it。　
　　　　So　it　comes　about　that；　increasingly；　throughout　broad　
classes　in　these　industrial　countries　there　is　coming　to　be　
visible　a　lack　of　respect　and　affection　for　the　vested　interests；　
whether　of　business　or　of　privilege；　and　it　rises　to　the　pitch　of　
distrust　and　plain　disallowance　among　those　peoples　on　whom　the　
preconceptions　of　the　eighteenth　century　sit　more　lightly　and　
loosely。　It　still　is　all　vague　and　shifty。　So　much　so　that　the　
guardians　of　law　and　order　are　still　persuaded　that　they　〃have　
the　situation　in　hand。〃　But　the　popular　feeling　of　incongruity　
and　uselessness　in　the　current　run　of　law　and　custom　under　the　
rule　of　these　timeworn　preconceptions　is　visibly　gaining　ground　
and　gathering　consistency；　even　in　so　well　ordered　a　republic　as　
America。　A　cleavage　of　sentiment　is　beginning　to　run　between　the　
vested　interests　and　the　variegated　mass　of　the　common　lot。；　and　
increasingly　the　common　man　is　growing　apathetic；　or　even　
impervious；　to　appeals　grounded　on　these　timeworn　preconceptions　
of　equity　and　good　usage。　
　　　　The　fact　of　such　a　cleavage；　as　well　as　the　existence　of　any　
ground　for　it；　is　painstakingly　denied　by　the　spokesmen　of　the　
vested　interests；　and　in　support　of　that　comfortable　delusion　
they　will　cite　the　exemplary　fashion　in　which　certain　
monopolistic　labor　organisations　〃stand　pat；〃　It　is　true；　such　a　
quasi…vested　interest　of　the　A。　F。　of　L。；　which　unbidden　assumes　
to　speak　for　the　common　man；　can　doubtless　be　counted　on　to　
〃stand　pat〃　on　that　system　of　imponderables　in　which　its　vested　
perquisites　reside。　So　also　the　kept　classes；　and　their　stewards　
among　the　keepers　of　law　and　custom；　are　inflexibly　content　to　
let　well　enough　alone。　They　can　be　counted　on　to　see　nothing　more　
to　the　point　than　a　stupidly　subversive　rapacity　in　that　
loosening　of　the　bonds　of　convention　that　so　makes　light　of　the　
sacred　rights　of　vested　interest。　Interested　motives　may　count　
for　something　on　both　sides；　but　it　is　also　true　that　the　kept　
classes　and　the　businesslike　managers　of　the　vested　interests；　
whose　place　in　the　economy　of　nature　it　is　to　make　money　by　
conforming　to　the　received　law　and　custom；　have　not　in　the　same　
degree　undergone　the　shattering　discipline　of　the　New　Order。　They　
are；　therefore；　still　to　be　found　standing　blamelessly　on　the　
stable　principles　of　the　Modern　Point　of　View。　
　　　　But　a　large　fraction　of　the　people　in　the　industrial　
countries　is　visibly　growing　uneasy　under　these　principles　as　
they　work　out　under　existing　circumstances。　So；　e。g。；　it　is　
evident　that　the　common　man　within　the　United　Kingdom；　in　so　far　
as　the　Labor　Party　is　his　accredited　spokesman；　is　increasingly　
restive　under　the　state　of　〃things　as　they　are；〃　and　it　is　
scarcely　less　evident　that　he　finds　his　abiding　grievance　in　the　
Vested　Interests　and　that　system　of　law　and　custom　which　
cherishes　them。　And　these　men；　as　well　as　their　like　in　other　
countries；　are　still　in　an　unsettled　state　of　advance　to　
positions　more　definitely　at　variance　with　the　received　law　and　
custom。　In　some　instances；　and　indeed　in　more　or　less　massive　
formation；　this　movement　of　dissent　has　already　reached　the　limit　
of　tolerance　and　has　found　itself　sharply　checked　by　the　
constituted　keepers　of　law　and　custom。　
　　　　It　is　perhaps　not　unwarranted　to　count　the　I。　W。　W。　as　such　a　
vanguard　of　dissent；　in　spite　of　the　slight　consistency　and　the　
exuberance　of　its　movements。　After　all；　these　and　their　like；　
here　and　in　other　countries　are　an　element　of　appreciable　weight　
in　the　population。　They　are　also　increasingly　numerous；　in　spite　
of　well…conceived　repressive　measures；　and　they　appear　to　grow　
increasingly　sure。　And　it　will　not　do　to　lose　sight　of　the　
presumption　that；　while　they　may　be　gravely　in　the　wrong；　they　
are　likely　not　to　be　far　out　of　touch　with　the　undistinguished　
mass　of　the　common　sort　who　still　continue　to　live　within　the　
law。　It　should　seem　likely　that　the　peculiar　moral　and　
intellectual　bent　which　marks　them　as　〃undesirable　citizens〃　
will；　all　the　while；　be　found　to　run　closer　to　that　of　the　common　
man　than　the　corresponding　bent　of　the　law…abiding　beneficiaries　
under　the　existing　system。　
　　　　Vaguely；　perhaps；　and　with　a　picturesque　irresponsibility；　
these　and　their　like　are　talking　and　thinking　at　cross…purposes　
with　the　principles　of　free　bargain　and　self…help。　There　is　
reason　to　believe　that　to　their　own　thinking；　when　cast　in　the　
terms　in　which　they　conceive　these　things；　their　notions　of　
reasonable　human　intercourse　are　not　equally　fantastic　and　
inconclusive。　So；　there　is　the　dread　word。　Syndicalism；　which　is　
quite　properly　unintelligible　to　the　kept　classes　and　the　adepts　
of　corporation　finance；　and　which　has　no　definable　meaning　within　
the　constituent　principles　of　the　eighteenth　century。　But　the　
notion　of　it　seems　to　come　easy；　by　mere　lapse　of　habit；　to　these　
others　in　whom　the　discipline　of　the　New　Order　has　begun　to　
displace　the　preconceptions　of　the　eighteenth　century。　
　　　　Then　there　are；　in　this　country；　the　agrarian　syndicalists；　
in　the　shape　of　the　Nonpartisan　League；　large；　loose；　animated；　
and　untidy；　but　sure　of　itself　in　its　settled　disallowance　of　the　
Vested　Interests；　and　fast　passing　the　limit　of　tolerance　in　its　
inattention　to　the　timeworn　principles　of　equity。　How　serious　is　
the　moral　dereliction　and　the　subversive　stupidity　of　these　
agrarian　syndicalists；　in　the　eyes　of　those　who　still　hold　fast　
to　the　eighteenth　century；　may　be　gathered　from　the　animation　of　
the　business　community；　the　commercial　clubs；　the　Rotarians；　and　
the　traveling　salesmen；　in　any　glace　where　the　League　raises　its　
untidy　head。　And　as　if　advisedly　to　complete　the　case；　these　
agrarians；　as　well　as　their　running…mates　in　the　industrial　
centers　and　along　the　open　road；　are　found　to　be　slack　in　respect　
of　their　national　spirit。　So；　at　least；　it　is　said　by　those　who　
are　interested　to　know。　
　　　　It　is　not　that　these　and　their　like　are　ready　with　〃a　
satisfactory　constructive　program；〃　such　as　the　people　of　the　
uplift　require　to　be　shown　before　they　will　believe　that　things　
are　due　to　change。　It　is　something　of　the　simpler　and　cruder　
sort；　such　as　history　is　full　of；　to　the　effect　that　whenever　and　
so　far　as　the　time…worn　rules　no　longer　fit　the　new　material　
circumstances　they　presently　fail　to　carry　conviction　as　they　
once　did。　Such　wear　and　tear　of　institutions　is　unavoidable　where　
circumstances　change；　and　it　is　through　the　altered　personal　
equation　of　those　elements　of　the　population　which　are　most　
directly　exposed　to　the　changing　circumstances　that　the　wear　and　
tear　of　institutions　may　be　expected　to　take　effect。　To　these　
untidy　creatures　of　the　New　Order　common　honesty　appears　to　mean　
vaguely　something　else；　perhaps　something　more　exacting；　than　
what　was　〃nominated　in　the　bond〃　at　the　time　when　the　free　
bargain　and　self…help　were　written　into　the　moral　constitution　of　
Christendom　by　the　handicraft　industry　and　the　petty　trade。　And　
why　should　it　not？　　
　
The　End