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Authority


“For nobody can transfer to another more power than he has in himself, and nobody has an absolute arbitrary power over himself, or over any other, to destroy his own life, or take away the life or property of another.”


John Locke



This important principle of authority was taught by John Locke nearly 300 years ago which happened to influence our founders: “For nobody can transfer to another more power than he has in himself, and nobody has an absolute arbitrary power over himself, or over any other, to destroy his own life, or take away the life or property of another."[1]

“Nature, or rather God, has bestowed upon every one of us the right to defend his person, his liberty, and his property”


Frederic Bastiat


This principle was also taught by Frederic Bastiat. He taught, "Nature, or rather God, has bestowed upon every one of us the right to defend his person, his liberty, and his property, since these are the three constituent or preserving elements of life; elements, each of which is rendered complete by the others, and that cannot be understood without them. For what are our faculties, but the extension of our personality? and what is property, but an extension of our faculties?

If every man has the right of defending, even by force, his person, his liberty, and his property, a number of men have the right to combine together to extend, to organize a common force to provide regularly for this defense.


Collective right, then, has its principle, its reason for existing, its lawfulness, in individual right; and the common force cannot rationally have any other end, or any other mission, than that of the isolated forces for which it is substituted. Thus, as the force of an individual cannot lawfully touch the person, the liberty, or the property of another individual — for the same reason, the common force cannot lawfully be used to destroy the person, the liberty, or the property of individuals or of classes."[2]


The former Agricultural Secretary of the United States Ezra Taft Benson probably summed this concept up best: "But now we come to the moment of truth. Suppose pioneer “A” wants another horse for his wagon. He doesn’t have the money to buy one, but since pioneer “B” has an extra horse, he decides that he is entitled to share in his neighbor’s good fortune, Is he entitled to take his neighbor’s horse? Obviously not! If his neighbor wishes to give it or lend it, that is another question. But so long as pioneer “B” wishes to keep his property, pioneer “A” has no just claim to it.

“If “A” has no proper power to take “B’s” property, can he delegate any such power to the sheriff? No.... They cannot delegate a power they themselves do not have.”


Ezra Taft Benson, Former Agricultural Secretary


If “A” has no proper power to take “B’s” property, can he delegate any such power to the sheriff? No. Even if everyone in the community desires that “B” give his extra horse to “A”, they have no right individually or collectively to force him to do it. They cannot delegate a power they themselves do not have."[3]



[1]: Two Treatises of Civil Government, II, 135 Locke, John; p. 93

[2]: The Law, Frederic Bastiat, p. 2-3

[3]: Speech given on The Proper Role of Government Benson, Ezra Taft, Former Agricultural Secretary of the United States View Speech

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