On the record
Its enemies, we must remember, never admit that they are concerned to attack it; they always base their defence of their purpose upon other grounds.
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Harold J. Laski
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gutenberg.orgHarold J. Laski: “Its enemies, we must remember, never admit that they are concerned to attack it; they always base their defence of their…”
Editor's note · Context
Laski points out that those who oppose liberty often disguise their intentions under different justifications.
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More from Harold J. Laski
He is able, accordingly, to indulge in the twofold luxury not only of preserving his own authority, but also of assisting the persons attacked to enter, if they so choose, the way of truth.
We grant toleration in one part of the field only to deny it in another.
Ultimately, that denial is always made upon the same ground: it is insisted that the doctrines or practices attacked are subversive of the civil order.
When attacks on liberty are political or economic, it is their motive rather than their nature that changes.
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