The law of justice is the precise measure, and the only precise measure, of the rightful "liberty" of each and every human being. Any law--made by lawmakers--that should give to any man more liberty than is given him by the law of justice, would be a license to commit an injustice upon one or more other persons. On the other hand, any law--made by lawmakers--that should take from any human being any "liberty" that is given him by the law of justice, would be taking from him a part of his own rightful "liberty."
Inasmuch, then, as every possible law, that can be made by lawmakers, must either give to some one or more persons more "liberty" than the law of nature--or the law of justice--gives them, and more "liberty" than is consistent with the natural and equal "liberty" of all other persons; or else must take from some one or more persons some portion of that "liberty" which the law of nature--or the law of justice--gives to every human being, it is inevitable that every law, that can be made by lawmakers, must be a violation of the natural and rightful "liberty" of some one or more persons.
Therefore the very idea of a _lawmaking_ government--a government that is to make laws of its own invention--is necessarily in direct and inevitable conflict with "our liberty." In fact, the whole, sole, and only real purpose of any _lawmaking_ government whatever is to take from some one or more persons their "liberty." Consequently the only way in which all men can preserve their "liberty," is not to have any _lawmaking_ government at all.
We have been told, time out of mind, that "_Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty_." But this admonition, by reason of its indefiniteness, has heretofore fallen dead upon the popular mind. It, in reality, tells us nothing that we need to know, to enable us to preserve "our liberty." It does not even tell us what "our liberty" is, or how, or when, or through whom, it is endangered, or destroyed.
1. It does not tell us that _individual_ liberty is the only _human_ liberty. It does not tell us that "national liberty," "political liberty," "republican liberty," "democratic liberty," "constitutional liberty," "liberty under law," and all the other kinds of liberty that men have ever invented, and with which tyrants, as well as demagogues, have amused and cheated the ignorant, are not liberty at all, unless in so far as they may, under certain circumstances, have chanced to contribute something to, or given some impulse toward, _individual_ liberty.