[734] “Workers must understand that these collective funds [pension funds] must be voluntarily contributed by those who are to have a share in them. It would be quite unjust, as well as anti-social, to raise them by means of taxation—that is, by force—from the classes who have no share in the benefits.” (Harmonies, chap. 14, p. 471.)
“A peasant marries late in the hope of having a small family, and we force him to rear other people’s children. He has to contribute towards the rearing of bastards.” (Ibid., chap. 20, pp. 617, 618.)
Speaking of sharing in the benefits, he remarks: “That is really not worth talking about.” (Ibid., chap. 14, p. 457.)
[735] “Organisms in nature have their rank and degree of perfection determined by the number of organs which they possess and the amount of difference which exists between each of them.” (Social Science, vol. iii, p. 461.)
“Life has been defined as an exchange of mutual obligations, but if there were no difference between the various objects how could the exchange take place?” (Ibid., vol. i, pp. 54-55.)
“The more perfectly co-ordinated the whole is, the better developed will be each of its parts.” (Ibid., vol. iii, p. 462.)
[736] Charles Dunoyer was Bastiat’s senior. The first edition of De la Liberté du Travail, to which we have already referred, dates from 1825, and the last edition from 1845. He took an active part in opposing the Restoration Government, but he became prefect and subsequently Conseiller d’État under Louis Philippe.
[737] Molinari, a modern French economist, holds similar views.
[738] If a person died intestate he was in favour of equal division of wealth. The arguments which he employed are very interesting, especially those directed against the upholders of primogeniture. They thought that by depriving the younger sons of their inheritance they became more industrious and thoughtful. Dunoyer replies by asking whether it would not be an advantage to deny the right of succession to the eldest son as well, “for it is obviously unfair that he should be deprived of that kind of training which is so profitable to his younger brothers.” Dunoyer forgot that it would have gone ill with his arguments if the socialists had taken him at his word.
[739] “Labour is the only source of productive power. Capital is a human creation, and land is simply a form of capital.” (De la Liberté du Travail, Book VI.)