Liberty Alone

The shortest way to turn a radical into a conservative, a liberal into a tyrant, a man into a beast, is to give him power over his fellows. Witness the recent vote in the British Commons on the abolition of the death penalty. Under the administration of the Tories every member of the present ministry voted against the gallows. Under Gladstone’s rule John Bright alone remains true to his record; while Sir William Harcourt, whose name stands on the lists of previous years in antagonism to capital punishment, went so far as to speak in its favor. Such is the effects of a little brief authority.

Benjamin Tucker - Liberty Vol. 1 Issue 3 September 3, 1881

Power turns many people against previous principles. Even seeking power does so as electoral politics shows.
Lord Acton was correct, yet all political parties seek to expand the power of government rather than reduce it.

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