Dallas Accord: Difference between revisions

The accord was a compromise between members of the party's larger minarchist and smaller anarchist factions who were desirous to reach some kind of accommodation in order to avoid a split in the new party. Steps taken to implement the accord involved amending the [[Platform]] and the [[Statement of Principles]] to refrain from explicitly stating whether it was desirable for the State to exist.<ref>Mike Hihn, "The Dallas Accord, Minarchists, and why our members sign a pledge", Washington State Libertarian Party, August 2009.</ref><ref>Paul Gottfried, ''The conservative movement: Social movements past and present '', Twayne Publishers, 1993, p. 46.</ref><ref name=Antman>Less Antman, [http://archive.lewrockwell.com/orig9/antman1.html The Dallas Accord is Dead], [[Lew Rockwell.com]], May 12, 2008.</ref><ref>Caryn Ann Harlos, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPWT9Jb05V8 "Through Which Liberty Shall Prevail: The [[Statement of Principles]] of the Libertarian Party"], live at the 2017 Arizona Libertarian Party Convention.</ref><ref>[http://lpedia.org/Caryn_Ann_Harlos Caryn Ann Harlos and the Statement of Principles hosted on lp.org]</ref>   

The purpose of the Dallas Accord was to make the Libertarian Party a "[[big tent]]" that would welcome more ideologically diverse groups of people interested in reducing the size of government.  At that time, the [[Platform]] underwent several related changes which deleted the phrase "The protection of individual rights is the only proper purpose of government" from Individual Rights and Civil Order and added the word "existing" to the Trade and Economy plank as follows: "The only proper role of existing governments in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal frame- work in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society." <ref>[http://lpedia.org/wiki/1974_Libertarian_Party_Platform 1974 Libertarian Party Platform ]</ref>  Whether or not any portion of the informal agreement was ever binding, or remains in effect as the wording  of the [[Platform]] planks changed, remains disputed, and Party members and candidates have certainly felt free to argue for their perspectives on the debate.<ref>Judge Gray, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWbQg0Y0wJA Anarchism v. Libertarianism]</ref><ref>Caryn Ann Harlos, [https://jrlp.podbean.com/e/johnny-rocket-launch-pad-episode-102-caryn-ann-harlos/ "Party-Archy," Johnny Rocket Launchpad]</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEutQklrkcE Anarchy v. Minarchy Debate at 2016 Libertarian Party Convention ]</ref> The official Libertarian Party website follows the [[Statement of Principles]] in stating, "We believe that government’s only responsibility, if any, should be protecting people from force and fraud."<ref>[https://www.lp.org/about/ "About the Libertarian Party"]</ref>  Further, the [[Statement of Principles]] is a permanent part of the [[Platform]] and contains the edits made in 1974 and thus any apparent stepping back of those statements in the planks must be considered as transient statements or practical positions given the current fact of the state.

Up until [[National Convention 2018]], the Criminal Justice Plank stated "[t]he prescribed role of government is to protect the rights of every individual including the right to life, liberty and property” which is used as further argument that the Dallas Accord has been abrogated. Party anarchists assert that since the [[Platform]] may not contradict the [[Statement of Principles]] as amended in 1974, as well the [[Platform]]’s overtly stated transitory nature, such a statement does not entail the necessity of the state, merely the limitation of its role when it does exist.    Others argue that the Party’s [[Statement of Principles]] gives support for "the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others," and "the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation" with the implication that a state would be required; however, the original language of the [[Statement of Principles]] from 1972 in which those items would be enforced by “laws” was struck by the amendments made in 1974 so opponents of this view would say this is not a valid conclusion.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/statementofprinciples/photos/pb.540241642806441.-2207520000.1486498090./708512759312661/?type=3&theater Mark-Up of Changes Between 1972 and 1974 Statement of Principles]</ref> The edits to the [[Statement of Principles]] made in conjunction with the [[1974 Libertarian National Convention]] remain unchanged.  However, that potentially problematic language was amended, with the Platform Committee specifically arguing that it could be interpreted as violating the Accord to the following language, "Government force must be limited to the protection of the rights of individuals to life, liberty, and property, and governments must never be permitted to violate these rights."<ref>[https://lpedia.org/Document:National_Platform_2018 2018 Libertarian Party Platform]</ref>