On the record
For unless this liberty is restrained, their allegiance becomes the possession of a party and they cannot give that neutral service which is the basic principle of their existence.
Said by
Harold J. Laski
Source
gutenberg.orgHarold J. Laski: “For unless this liberty is restrained, their allegiance becomes the possession of a party and they cannot give that…”
Editor's note · Context
Laski warns that unrestricted liberty for public officials can lead to divided loyalties and undermine their service.
Share
More from Harold J. Laski
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.
Each age makes some idol in its own image and sacrifices upon its altar the freedom of those who refuse it worship.
To deny novelty or grievance a right of expression is a certain, if, indeed, an ultimate, validation of the truth they contain.
The only way to deal with novelty is to understand it, and the only way to deal with grievance is to seek a remedy for the complaint it embodies.
Other voices in this conversation
