ade
disorder, are doing no work. And our question is: 'Why cannot
the latter set to work and make and distribute boots?'

"Imagine yourself trying to organize something of this kind of
Free Booting expedition and consider the difficulties you
would meet with. You would begin by looking for a lot of
leather. Imagine yourself setting off to South America, for
example, to get leather; beginning at the very beginning by
setting to work to kill and flay a herd of cattle. You find at
once you are interrupted. Along comes your first obstacle in
the shape of a man who tells you the cattle and the leather
belong to him. You explain that the leather is wanted for
people who have no decent boots in England. He says he does
not care a rap what you want it for; before you may take it
from him you have to buy him off; it is his private property,
this leather, and the herd and the land over which the herd
ranges. You ask him how much he wants for his leather, and he
tells you frankly, just as much as he can induce you to give.

"If he chanced to be a person of exceptional sweetness of
disposition, you might perhaps argue with him. You might point
out to him that this project of giving people splendid boots
was a fine one that would put an end to much human misery. He
might even sympathize with your generous enthusiasm, but you
would, I think, find him adamantine in his resolve to get just
as much out of you for his leather as you could with the
utmost effort pay.

"Suppose, now, you said to him: 'But how did you come by this
land and these herds so that you can stand between them and
the people who have need of them, exacting this profit?' He
would probably either embark upon a long rigmarole, or, what
is much more probable, lose his temper and decline to argue.
Pursuing your doubt as to the rightfulness of his property in
these things, you might admit he deserved a certain reasonable
fee for the rough care he had taken of the land and herds. But
cattle breeders are a rude violent race, and it is doubtful if
you would get far beyond your proposition of a reasonable fee.
You would, in fact, have to buy off this owner of the leather
at a good thumping price--he exacting just as much as he could
get from you--if you wanted to go on with your project.

"Well, then you would have