the vested interests and the common man-第25章
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masquerade。
It is the express purpose of the projected league of pacific
nations to keep the sovereign rights of national
self…determination intact for all comers； it is to be a league of
nations； not a league of peoples。 But it should be sufficiently
obvious； whether it is avowed or not； that these sovereign rights
can be maintained by these means only in a mutilated form。 Within
the framework of any such league or common understanding the
nations； each and several； can continue to exercise these rights
only on the basis of a mutual agreement to give up so much of
their national pretensions as are patently incompatible with the
common good。 It involves a concessive surrender of the sovereign
right of self…aggrandisement； and perhaps also an extension of
the rule of Live and let live to cover minor nationalities within
the national frontiers； a mutual agreement to play fair under the
new rules that are to govern the conduct of national enterprise。
Any injunction to play fair is an infraction of national
sovereignty。 Hitherto no liberal statesman has been so audacious
as to 〃imagine the king's death〃 and lay profane hands on the
divine right of nations to seek their own advantage at the cost
of the rest by such means as the rule of reason shall decide to
be permissible。 It is only that licence is to be hedged about；
and all insufferable superfluity of naughtiness is provisionally
to be disallowed。 There is this evident resemblance and kinship
between the vested interests of business and the sovereign rights
of nations； but it does not amount to identity。
There is always something more to the national sovereignty
and the national pretensions； although these precautionary
measures that are now under advisement as touches the legitimate
bounds of both do run on singularly similar lines and are of a
similarly tentative and equivocal nature。 In the prudent measures
by which statesmen have set themselves to curb the excesses of
the greater vested interests within the nation their aim has
quite consistently been to guard the free income of the lesser
vested interests against the unseasonable rapacity of the greater
ones； all the while that the underlying community has come into
the case only as a fair field of business enterprise at large；
within which there is to be maintained a reasonable degree of
equal opportunity among these interests； big and little； in whom；
one with another； vests the effectual usufruct of the underlying
community。
It may be necessary to remark； by way of parenthesis； that
while this description of these corrective measures may seem to
hint at a fault； that is by no means its purpose。 The fault may
be there； of course； but if so it has no bearing on the argument
at this point。 It should also be remarked in the same connection
that this description of facts does not overlook the
well…conceived verbal reservations and preambles with which
cautious statesmen habitually surround the common good in the
face of any unseasonable rapacity on the part of the greater
vested interests； it is only that the run of the facts has been
quite patently to the effect so indicated。 In the same connection
it may also not be out of place to recall that a vested interest
is a prescriptive right to get something for nothing； in which
again the kinship and resemblance between vested interests in
business and the sovereign rights of nations comes into view。
So； on the other hand； the great war has brought into a
strong light the obvious fact that； given the existing state of
the industrial arts； any unseasonable rapacity on the part of the
great Powers in exercising their inalienable right of national
self…determination will effectually suppress the similarly
inalienable right of self…determination in any minor nationality
that gets in the way。 All of which is obnoxious to the liberal
principle of self…help or to that of equal opportunity。
Unhappily； these two guiding principles of the modern point of
view self…help and equal opportunity have proved to be
incompatible with one another under the circumstances of the new
order of things。 So there has come into view this project of a
league； by which it is proposed to play fast and loose with the
inalienable right of national self…help by setting up some sort
of a collusive arrangement between the Powers； a conspiracy in
restraint of national intrigue； looking to a reasonable
disallowance of force and fraud in the pursuit of national
ambitions。
Under the material circumstances of the new order those
correctives that were once counted on to keep the run of things
within the margin of tolerance have ceased to be a sufficient
safeguard。 By use and wont； in the Liberal scheme of statecraft
as well as in the scheme of freely competitive business； implicit
faith has hitherto been given to the remedial effect of punitive
competition and the punitive correction of excesses by law and
custom。 It has been a system of adjustment by punitive
afterthought。 All of which may once have been well enough in its
time； so long as the rate and scale of the movement of things
were slow enough and small enough to be effectually overtaken and
set to rights by afterthought。 The modern eighteenth…century
point of view presumes an order of things which is amenable to
remedial adjustment after the event。 But the new order of
industry； and that sweeping equilibrium of material forces that
embodies the new order； is not amenable to afterthought。 Where
human life and human fortunes are exposed to the swing of the
machine system； or to the onset of national ambitions that are
served by the machine industry； it is safety first or none。
However； ripe statesmen and over…ripe captains of finance have so
secure a grasp of first principles that they are still able to
believe quite sincerely in the good old plan of remedial
afterthought； and it still commands the affectionate service of
the jurists and the diplomatic corps。 Meantime the far…reaching；
swift…moving； wide…sweeping machine technology has been drawn
into the service of national pretensions； as well as of the
vested interests that find shelter under the national
pretensions； and both the remedial diplomats and the
self…determination of nations are on the way to become a tale
that was told。
The divine right of nations appears to be a blurred
after…image of the divine rights of kings。 It rests on ground
more archaic and less open to scrutiny than the Natural Right of
self…direction as it applies in the case of individual persons。
It is a highly prized national asset； in the nature of an
imponderable； and； very much as is true of the divine right of
kings； any spoken doubt of its paramount validity comes near
being a sin against the Holy Ghost。 It can not safely be
scrutinised or defined in matter…of…fact words。 As is true of the
divine right of kings； so also as regards the divine right of
nations； it is extremely difficult to show that it serves the
common good in any material way； in any way that can be
formulated or verified in terms of tangible performance。
Evidently it does not come in under that mechanistic conception
that rules the scheme of knowledge and belief wherever and so far
as material science and the machine technology have reshaped
men's habits of thought。 Indeed； it is not a technological
conception； late or early。 It is not statable in terms of
mechanical efficiency； or even in terms of price。 Hence it is
spoken of； often and eloquently； as being 〃beyond price。〃 It is
more nearly akin to magic and religion。 It should perhaps best be
conceived as an end in itself； or a thing…in…itself again in
close analogy with the divine right of kings。 But there is no
question of its substantial reality and its paramount efficacy
for good and ill。
The divine that is to say inscrutable and irresponsible
right of kings reached its best estate and put on divinity in the
stirring times of the Era of State…making； when the princes and
prelates 〃tore each other in the slime。〃 It wa
