Godwin's Political Justice Author:William Godwin Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. BENEFITS ARISING FROM THE GENUINE SYSTEM OF PROPERTY. CONTRASTED WITH THE MISCHIEFS OP THE PRESENT STS TEM, AS CONSISTING 1. IN A SENSE OP ... more »DEPENDENCE. 2. IN THE PERPETUAL SPECTACLE OP INJUSTICE, LEAD- ING MEN ASTRAY IN THEIR DESIRES AND PERVERTING THE INTEGRITY OP THEIR JUDGMENTS.THE RICH ARE THE TRUE PENSIONERS.3. IN THE DISCOURAGEMENT OP INTELLECTOAL ATTAINMENTS.4. IN THE MULTI- PLICATION OF VICE GENERATING THE CRIMES OP THE POOR THE PASSIONS OF THE RICH AND THE MISFOR- TUNES OF WAR.5. IN DEPOPULATION. HAVING seen the justice of an equal distribution of property, let us next consider the benefits with which it would be attended. And here with grief it must be confessed, that, however great and extensive are the evils that are produced by monarchies and courts, by the imposture of priests and the iniquity of criminal laws, all these are imbecil andimpotent compared with the evils that arise out of the established system of property. fits first effect is that which we have already mentioned, a sense of dependence. It is true that courts are mean spirited, intriguing and servile, and that this disposition is transferred by contagion from them to all ranks of society. But property brings home a servile and truckling spirit by no circuitous method to every house in the nation. Observe the pauper fawning with abject vileness upon his rich benefactor, and speechless with sensations of gratitude for having received that which he ought to have claimed with an erect mien, and with a consciousness that his claim was irresistible. Observe the servants that follow in a rich man's train, watchful of his looks, anticipating his commands, not daring to reply to his insolence, all their time and their efforts under the direction of his caprice. Observe...« less