The woodcutter
whom I employ on my estate; the smith in India who carries his hammer,
anvil, and bellows into the houses where he is engaged to work in
iron, as distinguished from the European carpenter or smith, who can
offer the independent products of his labour as wares for public sale;
the resident tutor as distinguished from the schoolmaster; the
ploughman as distinguished from the farmer and such like, illustrate
the distinction in question. In all these cases, the former members of
the contrast are distinguished from the latter by being mere
subsidiaries of the commonwealth and not active independent members of
it, because they are of necessity commanded and protected by others,
and consequently possess no political self-sufficiency in
themselves. Such dependence on the will of others and the consequent
inequality are, however, not inconsistent with the freedom and
equality of the individuals as men helping to constitute the people.
Much rather is it the case that it is only under such conditions
that a people can become a state and enter into a civil
constitution. But all are not equally qualified to exercise the
right of suffrage under the constitution, and to be full citizens of
the state, and not mere passive subjects under its protection. For,
although they are entitled to demand to be treated by all the other
citizens according to laws of natural freedom and equality, as passive
parts of the state, it does not follow that they ought themselves to
have the right to deal with the state as active members of it, to
reorganize it, or to take action by way of introducing certain laws.
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