Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/190

 176 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

applying coercion as for the sake of providing such uniform rules as convenience would dictate. Civil as well as crimi- nal litigation would conceivably cease. Only the administra- tive duties of the state would remain. These would probably be increased so as to include the performance by the state of every possible service that could, from the nature of the case, be better performed by a single agent than by the several efforts, however harmonious, of private individuals.

By way of conclusion of this long inquiry, then, it may be stated that we have reached a position which sustains that por- tion of the theory of the socialist which justifies the extension of state activities in any conceivable direction where it can be shown that, as a matter of fact, political control will be followed by beneficent results. At the same time, this does not com- mit us to the advocacy of social control in any given case. An estimate of all the considerations involved may, indeed, easily lead us to advise the reduction of state duties to a minimum below that now practiced in any of our civilized states. In truth, so far as the reasoning that has gone before is con- cerned, the tendency has been to emphasize the possibilities, both for race>and individual progress, that are wrapt up in the competitive principle.

W. W. WlLLOUGHBY. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY.