Spencer Heath Archive

Item 2649

Carbon of letter from Spencer MacCallum to F.A.(“Baldy”) Harper, The Foundation for Economic Education, Irvington-on-Hudson, New York, July 10, 1957, and Harper’s reply of July 12, 1957

 

Dear Dr. Harper:                       July 10, 1957 

 

Thanks a lot for your revision of the little story about Dr. Warren. I’ve enter­tained several people with it and want to send it in to the Saturday Evening Post as soon as I have a few moments to spare.

 Sorry I’ve waited so long to send you the question I asked at the last session of the Seminar. I wrote it out the same evening pretty much as I asked it and am enclosing it on a separate sheet.

 You certainly hit it right on the head in the first paragraph, third page of your article No. 3 of the series, YOUR TAX BURDEN. The rest of the article was unnecessary, for me. That one paragraph has it all. Once you establish or agree that an individual has the right to defend himself, if that means anything at all, it must mean that he has the “right to choose the time and form of his self-defense.”

 From Dr. Opitz’ answer to the question on Friday afternoon, he seems to feel that if people want certain things, then it’s alright to tax them for those things. But even if this were right, how then to limit the taxation? As Popdaddy likes to say, once the camel gets its head under the tent, the whole tent goes over. He doesn’t stop; he comes all the way in and upsets the whole thing.

 We had a very interesting luncheon visit with Dr. Petro the Tuesday following, and he showed a perfect grasp of the question and some real interest in the idea of the whole of society becoming organized, as he put it, “along purely commercial lines.”

 I’m embarrassed to ask you to send us, when you have time, the addresses of four of the “seminarians”. I should have got these myself. But here they are: Glenn Cate, Julio Morales, and Cassie Orr.

 Many thanks from both of us for such an inter­esting time at the Seminar and for your hospitality and that of FEE. I hope we’ll have a chance to see you again this summer before I go West.

Sincerely,

 

Spencer M.

 

________________________________________________________

 

Dear Spencer the Younger:                July 12, 1957

Thanks. You are an incisive reader, indeed. One wonders why he should waste words over the respinning of the seemingly obvious — but on the other hand, were we to do that universally, what would we do with all the spare words lying around?  (Sic)

 The addresses are:

Dr.  Julio Morales

Inter-American Investment Mgt, Inc.

Box 11002

Santurce, Puerto Rico

Mr. Glenn M. Cate

Station A, Box 512

Champaign, Illinois

Mrs. Cassie E. Orr

2409 Hawthorne Lane,

Flossmoor, Illinois

 The first two, as you will have perceived, are really great libertarian minds. And Mrs. Orr is working at it. Incidentally, Glenn reports that he has a son.

 Your statement of the issue expressed the last day of the seminar is excellent, but not included is another excellent point you made, to the effect that this particular concept founds the “libertarian society” on force at its base — on that process which it has professed to reject as an evil in itself.

 The staff member to whose comment you allude may deny any belief that it is proper to tax for whatever the people want, but then the only remaining alternative to justify the process is the imposition of the desires of a lesser group on the majority — at the extreme, a dictator. And if that is the road to the good society, libertarians have surely been off on the backward trail!

 Do pay us a visit when you can. Barbara and her family have now returned from Turkey, and I should like you to make each other’s acquaintance. They leave August 1, probably.

 

Sincerely,

 

        

(signed) Baldy