The Authorship of the Westminster Review Attack on Samuel Bailey and the Authorship of James Mill’s Elements

Abstract

In 1825, Bailey published his famous Critical Dissertation on the Nature, Measure and Causes of Value.¹ In January 1826 the Westminster Review published an extremely sharp and critical review of Bailey’s book.² McCulloch, who, if he knew the author of this attack, did not care to reveal it, referred to the Westminster Review piece as ‘a very captious article’³ and it seems fair to say that this was not an untypical reaction. The authorship of the review was not, however, made public and has remained a matter of speculation ever since. Both James and John Stuart Mill were known to be connected with the Westminster, which had been founded in 1824 as a review presenting the views of the utilitarians and radicals; and Fetter has written: ‘It was understood that James Mill, whose position at the India House made it inadvisable for him to appear as editor, would contribute on economics.’⁴ James Mill has undoubtedly been the prime suspect, and was believed to be the author by Henry Higgs, Viner, and Hayek, while both Edgeworth and Schumpeter believed that John Stuart Mill was the author of the attack. Rauner, who reviewed the matter extensively, concluded that James Mill was certainly the author.⁵