When Benjamin Franklin emerged from the Constitutional Convention on September 18, 1787 he was met by a Mrs. Powel, a lady who was very anxious for the results of the Convention. She asked Franklin, “Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" He succinctly replied, “A republic if you can keep it.” Benjamin Franklin, along with the others who met in Philadelphia to draft a constitution for a new republic, were well acquainted with history. Because of this acquaintance with history Franklin knew how fragile a republic could be. Rome had had a republic that soon deteriorated into an empire with an autocratic ruler. History provided our founders with other examples of the degradation of governments into tyrannies, though they had not begun that way. Franklin’s concern grew out of his familiarity with much human history that suggested that good governments don’t last long.

Knowing all these things the writers of the constitution provided various checks and balances within the structure of the government that would mitigate against its deterioration in the manner of many other nations before it. Another common terminology for this concept is “the balance of power.”

A century later legislators concerned with the growing power of business introduced antitrust laws, the first in the history of mankind, to make sure that a balance of power existed between government and business. They knew of the excesses of power exercised by the East India Company over the British parliament. That excessive power had led to the American Revolution. These legislators were convinced that the balance of power within government was not sufficient to keep our republic. For that reason they added antitrust laws, some of which have served to preserve our liberty for a hundred years.

Since that time, debate has continued over the relationship between government and business. Unfortunately it seems that the perspective of the debate has narrowed by looking only to most recent history for its examples. Many political positions develop out of avoidance of recent errors or excesses, a method that can easily open the door to an error of the exact opposite kind, something totally different, but still an error. Avoidance of socialistic errors observed around the world have led to other errors which are no better.

Most people view the positions on these issues as being “left” or “right” as if they were on a linear continuum. But a line representing “left” and “right” views doesn’t present a true picture of reality. The better representation is a circle. At the top is the balance of power. The bottom of the circle represents the merger of government and business as represented by either communism or fascism. Though one is considered extreme “right” and the other extreme “left” they are essentially identical in their absolute power. One side of the circle represents the dominance of government over business. The other side represents the dominance of business over government. Neither of these paths leads to liberty. Liberty is maintained by staying carefully at the balance of power position at the top. This should not be viewed as a “middle of the road” position, nor a place of compromise between the positions on one side of the circle with the other. Unfortunately much of our political debate focuses on which path to destruction we should take rather than how to strike the proper balance of power.

Benjamin Franklin knew that keeping a republic would not be easy. It is a continual and difficult balancing act. But it is worth it. TS

– Benjamin Franklin