Spencer Heath Archive

Item 2183

Random taping by Spencer MacCallum from conversation with Heath

February 9, 1956

     I’m more and more intrigued by the close analogy between our common markets and the folk moots of primitive people. In the folk moot, the popular opinion was made known, and something was done to carry it out. If it concerned property, it concerned those whom the folk had accepted as the owners of the property, more as representing the folk as regards disposition of the particular property. In the course of time, as more and more property had to be disposed of by the moot, more and more persons were designated or accepted to administer it. As this became habitual, these persons came to be recognized by the spontaneous will of the folk without being expressly authorized.

     Take it in a modern village or town. A person wants property on which to produce a livelihood or do business. He doesn’t go to the political authority; he goes to the market, the real estate market. Here he finds people expressing their wishes and desires about the real estate they own the same as the people in the folkmoot expressed their wishes and desires about the community property that they owned. There is nothing required or enforced about this; it is spontaneous. As fast as the people in the market come into agreement spontaneously about any property, then their authorized representative, acting as owner by their will and consent, carries out the popular will by selling, leasing or otherwise administering the property whose administration had been confided to him. If at any time the market fails to recognize him as owner, he cannot function as such and his title fails. So, also, if the political powers forbid him to engage in transactions that the market authorizes and approves, his title is destroyed. The market place is the only place in society where the popular will is spontaneously expressed and automatically executed. It is just as democratic as the old folk moot was—but far more refined. It is the only truly democratic institution, for it is the only place among men where they do things publicly and spontaneously by the will and consent of all with coercion of none. It is the only place of salvation from slavery and war.