The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-05-04
Bastiat and Mr.. Carey.
From The World.

HNA@N e-@AN SsNANIs
From The World.
We publish the reply of Mr. Henry c. Carey
to some remarks of ours, founded on his
apparent inspiration or Endorsement of the
charge that Frederic Bastiat, the distinguished
French political economist, had seized,
diluted, and passed off as his own" ideas
original with Mr.. Carey, namely, the ideas, or
" all that is good in the Ha,monies Ece-
nomiqueS.'
Mr.. Carey, in his past discussions, seems
not to have met with that uniform courtesy
which his own should have bred in an an
tagonist; at least, we know no other reason
for his supposing it necessary to urge upon us
the publication Of his reply to our questions.
Less would not be justiCe but, indeed, our
columns stand open for much more informa-
tion than Mr.. Carey has yet vouchsafed, if his
future, like his past and present DESIRES shall
be Sin reference to any and every question in
the discussion of which have been engaged
that opportunity should be afforded to the
reader for examining it on every side, and for
being enabled thus to arrive at correct conclu-
sions." Singular to relate, we have never been
able to obtain from the Tribune, Mr.. Carey's
chief disciple, this very justice; but Mr..
Greeley is so apt to decline a controversy a la
mort, that the matter is of small consequence.
If of two antagonists one will not ''stand up
to the scratch" after the first exchange of
blows, there might as well be no controversy.
No issue is determined, nor is the public in
any manner enlightened. But Mr.. Carey's
courtesy, we feel assured, is not more perfect
than his readiness to contest any issue till the
truth is reached.
MIR. Carey denies any other connection with
the article in the Press than the obvious one
which we had presumed 20 found our broader
suspicious upon, viz, the loan of the Magyar
translation of his "Social Science" to the
literary editor of the Press.
He therefore declines to request the with
drawal of the offensive stigma which the Press
has attempted to fix upon the fame of Bastiat
and indeed seems to justify himself in wearing
the chaplet of ISLANDERS upon the dead with
which the admiration of his friend has thought
it fitting to deck him.
For it is here to be observed that-since no
discoverer of a new truth desires its monopoly,
but seeks above all things to diffuse it-a
statement that Bastiat in any of his writings
had been at all indebted to Mr.. Carey for facts
or reasonings which, as journalist or book
writer, he had reproduced in other and vari-
Gus forms, and done his utmost to develop
and spread to all his readers, is a very different
thing from the charge which Mr.. Carey refuses
to ask his friend and lauder to Withdraw
the charge, namely, of having "seized
diluted, and passed off as his own" Mr..
Carey's ideas. 1t is praise in this shape,
praise couched in the form of calumny upon
one of the simplest and truest hearts, and one
of the noblest intellects of our time-now
alas! unable to,defend himself-that Mr.. Carey
refuses to disclaim, consents to accept.
1t is this issue, then, that is to be tried,
and now we have to ask Mr.. Carey to afford
opportunity to the reader for examining it
on every side" 1t does not suffice for him to
tell us what Ferrara concludes, nor what his
own impressions are concerning what it is that
unnamed German writers have proved. Their
arguments will be estimated at their proper
worth by an intelligent public, if Mr.. Carey
should think fit to produce them to its inspec-
ton; but neither they nor we can assume to
have examined on every side' this
question which our first article raised
until Mr.. Carey first specifies precisely those
doctrines of his for which he claims originality
and priority of publication, and upon which
he charges that Bastiat practised theft, dilu-
ton, and emission with false pretenses.
[If Mr. Carey imagines himself TO have been
the author OF "all that is good" in Basiats
greatest work, "before the adroit Frenchman
seized, diluted, and passed them off as his own,"
it is worth while to prove the contrary.l
Entire candor also, and the desire which
Mr.. Carey expresses to 'afford opportunity to
the reader for examining the question on
every side, " will require that the correspon-
dence between himself and the literary execu-
tors of Bastiat should be exhibited, inclu-
ding the ''whole reply" TO which he makes
an allusion conveying another insinuation
against Bastiat's integrity, or 'sa parfaite |
lOg4ta6." ..f-
We repeat that the Lettre an Journal des !
FconoinisfeS is an abundant refutation of the |
charge of plagiarism. It's magnanimity alone |
sheuld be proof to kindred natures, that /,
plagiarism was impossible to that illustrious /
genius whose short five years. labor teemed /,
with works which will never die till commerce
is enfranchised, and all human energies which |
abridge no others liberty are free. We repeat, |
likewise, that the fundamental ideas of the |
HarmonieS EconnmjqueS were conceived and |
expressed by Bastiat before Mr.. Carey pub !
lished his first treatise; we add that the logical
between every part of the |
social and political science of Bastiat is close !
and perfect, but the doctrines which Mr. Carey |
holds in common with him are utterly at
logical variance with the doctrines peculiar to !
Mr.. Carey, and of which he among all political
economists of high rank now alone enjoys the
advocacy, so that a suitable examination will
how that, even though Mr.. Carey originated
the former, whilst Bastiat breathed into the
children of his brain the breath of life, and
made them living truths, they have dropped
from Mr.. Carey sterile, lifeless progeny.
--------- Fu
AT Hildburghausen Herr Dingeistedt, Jor-
dan Seeger, and others are busy upon a new
translation of Shakespeares Plays and SOnnets
into German, in ten volumes, of which the
first has just appeared.
"A new Erckmann- Chatram novel has Just
been published at Paris. II is an episode of