The many, for instance, would never have had any opinions on Free Trade or Bimetallism if the few had not worked on them • 185 Popular opinion requires exceptional men, as nuclei, round which to form itself • 187 Thus even in what seems extremest democracy the few are essential • 188 Democrats, however, may argue that under democracy the few do, in the long-run, carry out the wishes of the many • 188 Even were this true, the current formulas of democracy would be false, for unequal men would be essential to executing the wishes of equals • 189 Now in reality the few are never mere passive agents; • 189 but nevertheless the many do impress their will on them to a great extent • 190 The question is to _what_ extent? • 191 This introduces us to a new side of the problem—the extent of the power of the many • 191 This is greater in politics than in industry; • 192 and yet when we think it over we shall see that it is great in most domains of activity • 192 We had to take it for granted at starting. We must now examine it • 193 BOOK III CHAPTER I HOW TO DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN THE PARTS CONTRIBUTED TO A JOINT PRODUCT BY THE FEW AND BY THE MANY Mill declares that when two agencies are essential to producing an effect, their respective contributions to it cannot be discriminated • 197 Mill argues thus with special reference to land and labour; • 198 but he overlooks what in actual life is the main feature of the case • 198 The labour remaining the same, the product varies with the quality of the land • 198 The extra product resulting from labour on superior land is due to land, not labour • 199 This is easily proved by a number of analogous illustrations • 199 Mill errs by ignoring the changing character of the effect • 201 The case of labour directed by different great men is the same as the case of labour applied to different qualities of land. The great men produce the increment • 202 Labour, however, must be held to produce that minimum necessary to support the labourer, • 203 both in agriculture • 203 and in all kinds of production • 204 The great man produces the increment that would not be produced if his influence ceased • 204 Labour, it is true, is essential to the production of the increment also; • 205 but we cannot draw any conclusions from the hypothesis of labour ceasing; • 205 for the labourer would have to labour whether the great men were there or no • 206 The cessation of the great man’s influence is a practical alternative; the cessation of labour is not, • 206 as we see by frequent examples • 206 Thus the great man, in the most practical sense, produces what labour would not produce in his absence • 208 An analysis of practical reasoning as to causes generally will show us the truth of this • 208 For practical purposes _the_ cause of an effect is that cause only which may or may not be present; • 209 as we see when men discuss the cause of a fire, • 210 or of the accuracy of a chronometer, • 210