Volume 3, Number 3 (1979)

1. Introduction

In 1852 not one city in the United States paid its firemen; they were all volunteers. By 1880 most of the cities with more than 10,000 people—and many with fewer—had municipally paid fire departments, as did most cities in Europe. But until 1866 the fire department serving the city of London was neither volunteer nor municipally paid; it was privately owned and operated by the city’s fire insurance underwriters.

It is to some extent heartening to know that economists are once again concerned with entrepreneurship and its role in economic life. Lest one be over- whelmed with joy, though, it is useful to recall that economists have toyed with this subject before, and with little enough direct impact upon the central body of economic thought as it is propagated by text and lecture from one generation of economists to the next.

The early conservation movement in the United States was initiated by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 when he called together a conference of state governors. The premise of the conservation movement, sometimes pointed to as Roosevelt’s most lasting achievement, was that natural resources are being used too rapidly and that political controls should be used to conserve the proper amount of resources for future generations.

When analyzing election results, the Libertarian Party and other elements of the movement focus usually on the LP’s current political star in order to prove that the libertarian cause is advancing.Examples of this policy can be seen in the euphoria surrounding Hospers’ electoral vote in 1972; MacBride’s showing and the LP’s “Third Largest Party” status in 1976; and Ed Clark’s 377,960 votes for California Governor in 1978.

Volume 3, Number 4 (1979)

Modern libertarian thought is essentially deductive in character. Building from a foundation in natural law, libertarians derive the principle of non- aggression; and from this they deduce the standards of a just society. Consistency is the key word: what is permissible in the political sphere must be compatible with the principle of nonaggression.

Volume 3, Number 4 (1979)

A paper reviewing George Smith’s article “Justice Entrepreneurship in A Free Market” by Randy E. Barnett.

Volume 3, Number 4 (1979)

A paper reviewing George Smith’s article “Justice Entrepreneurship in A Free Market” by Steven Strasnick.

Volume 3, Number 4 (1979)

A paper reviewing George Smith’s article “Justice Entrepreneurship in A Free Market” by Robert L. Formaini.

Volume 3, Number 4 (1979)

George H. Smith responds to Randy Barnett, Robert Formaini, and Steven Strasnick’s comments on his paper “Justice Entrepreneurship in a Free Market.”

Volume 3, Number 4 (1979)

Adam Smith noted in 1776 that “What is prudence in the conduct of every private family can scarce be folly in that of a great kingdom.” The Classical economists generally believed that principles of sound business practice were equally appropriate for a family and for government, and this belief dominated public opinion until a generation or so ago.

Volume 4, Number 1 (1980)