A Treatise on Political Economy - The Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Wealth

consumers, and consequently to disrupt original: "derange" the natural balance original: "proportion" between production and demand—a balance which, if left to itself, is always established in the way most favorable to both.

Hope, fear, ill will original: "malevolence", and kindness original: "benevolence"—in short, every human passion or virtue—can influence the scale of price. However, it is the role of moral science to judge how strongly these feelings affect the actual price in every instance, which is our only focus here. We also do not need to address original: "advert to" purely political causes that might raise the price of a product above its actual usefulness original: "utility". Such causes are in the same category as actual robbery and plundering original: "spoliation", which belong to the field of criminal law original: "jurisprudence", even though they might interfere with the distribution of wealth.

The functions of a national government can be seen as a type of industry. Its "product" the services of protection and administration is consumed by the citizens as quickly as it is produced. However, these services may be paid for too dearly when they fall into the hands of usurpers and tyrants, and the people are forced to contribute more money than is necessary to maintain a good government. This is similar to the case of a producer who has no competitors, whether he eliminated them by force or through accidental circumstances. He can raise the price of his product as high as he wishes—even to the very limit of what the consumer can afford—if his monopoly is supported original: "seconded" by the government’s authority. But it is the duty of