The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

30 THE FREEMAN JanuaryArbitrary judgment, political power,visibility - these are what willmatter.The tendency for such an approachto violate human freedomis even more clearly exemplifiedby the present situation with respectto dividends. The Presidenthas requested firms not to raisedividends - he has no legal powerto do more. The request has beenaccompanied by surveillance, acalling down to Washington andpublic lambasting of the handfulof corporations that did not conform,and a clear, implied threatto use extralegal powers. Thesemeasures have no legal basis atall. Yet I know of only one smallcompany that has had the courageto refuse to cooperate ·on groundsof principle.The full logic of the system willnot work itself out this time. Ourstrong tradition of freedom, theineffectiveness of the controls, theingenuity of the people in findingways around them - these willlead to the collapse of the controlsrather than to their hardening intoa full-fledged straitjacket. Butnonetheless, it is disheartening tosee us take this further long stepon the road to tyranny so lightheartedly,so utterly unaware thatwe are doing something fundamentallyin conflict with the basicprinciples on which this country isfounded. The first time, we mayventure only a small way. But thenext time, and the next time?A Nation ollnlormersEnforcement of the price andwage controls, as of the freeze,must depend heavily on encouragingordinary citizens to be informers- to report "violations" togovernment officials.When you and I make a privatedeal, both of us benefit - otherwisewe do not have to make it. We arepartners, cooperating voluntarilywith one another. The terms, solong as they are mutually agreeable,should be our business. Butnot any longer. Big Brother islooking over our shoulders. Andif the terms do not correspondwith what he says is O.K., one ofus is encouraged to turn in theother. And to turn him in for doingsomething few people haveever regarded and do not now regardas .in any sense morallywrong; on the contrary, for doingsomething that each of us regards,when it affects us, as our basicright. Am I not entitled to sell mygoods or my labor for what I considerthem worth as long as I donot coerce anyone to buy? Is itmorally wrong for Chile to expropriatethe property of AnacondaCopper - Le., to force it tosell its copper mines for a priceless than its value; but morallyright for the U.S. government to