John Trenchard Quotes
As liberty can never subsist without equality, nor equality be long preserved without an agrarian law, or something like it; so when men’s riches are become immeasurably or surprisingly great, a people, who regard their own security, ought to make a strict enquiry how they came by them, and oblige them to take down their own size, for fear of terrifying the community, or mastering it.
In modern America, there are two political views of this notion. The one held by a small majority of the population is Trenchard’s quotation taken literally. Their view is that there if the is no way to maintain liberty if there is too wide a gap between the rich and the rest of the population. The second variant, held by many conservatives limits the equality to equality of opportunity. They are loathe to take any position that says that any gap between the rich and the remainder of the citizens might be too large. They would particularly disagree with the first sentence of another Trenchard quotation, {627024}.
John Trenchard, 1662-1723, English Whig journalist, Cato’s Letters
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
In modern America, there are two political views of this notion. The one held by a narrow majority of the population is Trenchard’s quotation taken literally. Their view is that there is no way to maintain liberty if there is too wide a wealth gap between the rich and the rest of the population. The second variant, held by many conservatives, limits the equality to equality of opportunity. They are loathe to take any position that says that any gap between the rich and the remainder of the citizens might be too large. They would particularly disagree with the first sentence of this quotation. Another consideration is that this quotation does not even consider what became a major problem in the American Democracy—the ability and propensity of the very rich to bribe legislators and officials and/or make “campaign contributions” to obtain favorable treatment and/or “access”.
The same greatest issue was still before the people a century later. See {633217} , {635104} & {630538}.
We are still grappling with the distribution of wealth issue.
At the time English democracy was still suspect especially among the aristocracy.
Worry about the disproportional power of the rich is not a modern concern, but was a concern from the very beginning of the nation. There was a belief that if there were a legislative body representing the entire population the rich would tend to dominate it. The solution that England had found was a bicameral Parliament—a House of Lords representing the wealthy and the powerful and the House of Commons, representing the bulk of the people. America followed suit but never did have the class distinction of England.
