I read, a short time ago, the life of a North-German noblemen who, in 1813, had fought bravely against the French, "although he was a man of large estates, and the enemy might therefore very easily have laid hands on them." If this "although" of his eulogist expressed the actual feeling of large landed proprietors, a great many old political institutions would have lost all foundation. _Ad. Müller_ was of opinion that the rights of primogeniture, etc., might be an obstacle in the way of the development of the net income of a nation's economy; but that they gave to the state and to the national life the warlike tone so necessary to them, etc. (Elemente, II, 90.)] [Footnote 202-4: "The Roman capitalists on whom Pompey counted, left him in the lurch at the moment of danger, because Cæsar destroyed only the constitution, but respected their business relations." (_K. W. Nitsch._)] [Footnote 202-5: _Kosegarten_, Nat. Oek., 186, thinks that, on account of the struggle between the labor interest and the interest of capitalists, in our times, the "fourth estate" is not as well represented by persons belonging to the propertied classes as the constitutionalist party thinks. And in fact, _Jarke_, Principienfragen, 1854, 197, would have it represented by the government, in order to prevent the struggle between rich and poor. See _Cherbuliez_, Riche ou Pauvre, p. 242 seq.] [Footnote 202-6: _A. Walker_ shows, in a very happy manner, how no misfortune, however great, whether it come from heaven or from earth, in the shape of pestilence, drought, flood or oppressive taxation, so rapidly and hopelessly ruins a nation's economy as when the harmony which should exist between capital and labor is disturbed by foul play or legal frauds between labor or capital and their reward. (Sc. of Wealth, 66.)] [Footnote 202-7: Compare _Lotz_, Revision, III, 322 ff., 327, 334 ff. Handbuch, I, 511 ff. _Lafitte_, Sur la Réduction de la Rente, 56. _Fuoco_ exaggerates this into the principle: _che la distribuzione, e non la produzione, sia la prima e principal operazione in economia_. (Saggi economici, II, p. 44.)] CHAPTER VII. DISTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL INCOME. SECTION CCIII. EFFECT OF AN EQUAL DIVISION OF THE NATIONAL INCOME. The best distribution of the national income among a people is that which enables them to enjoy the greatest amount and variety of real goods, and permanently to produce real goods in an increasing quantity and variety.