The only difference is that Spoliation has changed her agent. She acts no longer by Force, but by Cunning.
To rob the public, it is necessary to deceive them. To deceive them, it is necessary to persuade them that they are robbed for their own advantage, and to induce them to accept in exchange for their property, imaginary services, and often worse. Hence spring Sophisms in all their varieties. Then, since Force is held in check, Sophistry is no longer only an evil; it is the genius of evil, and requires a check in its turn. This check must be the enlightenment of the public, which must be rendered more subtle than the subtle, as it is already stronger than the strong.
Good Public! I now dedicate to you this first essay; though it must be confessed that the Preface is strangely transposed, and the Dedication a little tardy.
PART II.
SOPHISMS OF PROTECTION.
SECOND SERIES.
"The request of Industry to the government is as modest as that of Diogenes to Alexander: 'Stand out of my sunshine.'"—Bentham.