2007 Schlarbaum Award for Lifetime Defense of Liberty

0:00It's great for me to be here on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Institute. The first time I actually attended was the 15th anniversary, and I've been somewhat actively involved since, and it's been a pleasure to be involved. I think the work done here is some of the most important work being done in the country today. It's my pleasure to introduce Dr. Robert Higgs, who's the 2007 winner of the prize. Robert Higgs is a senior fellow in political economy for the Independent Institute, and he's an editor of the Institute's quarterly journal, The Independent Review. He received his PhD in economics from Johns Hopkins University, and he has taught at the University of Washington, Lafayette College, Seattle University, and the University of Economics Prague. He's the author of many books including Against Leviathan, Crisis in Leviathan and Depression War and Cold War. He is in fact the winner of the 2007 Gary and the Reggie Schlarbond Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Cause of Liberty.

1:17So if Dr. Higgs would please come forward. You have to watch it. You might want to take off your glasses because I have destroyed glasses doing this. Here is an envelope you won't want to lose. I'm deeply honored by this award, and I must say when I was notified of it by Lew Rockwell it completely shocked me.

2:03I'd never given a single thought to being the recipient of this award, and when I look back at the people who've received it in the past it's very humbling. Most of all, I think about my dear friend Ralph Reiko, who was one of the early recipients and who is truly a great contributor to the movement for liberty and a great scholar and someone I would never compare myself with and other wonderful people have received the award in the past as well. So, when I say I'm deeply honored, you can believe that I am. Thank you, Dr. Schlaubam, and thank you, Lew Rockwell and the Mises Institute.

2:54I can't say, as Dean Acheson once said in another context, that I was, with regard to the Mises Mises Institute present at the creation, but I've been associated with the Mises Institute for 20 years now, so I came along not too long after the creation, and I've been involved with the Mises Institute in many different ways, writing for, I think, just about all of its publications, the free market, even the Austrian economics newsletter, the review of Austrian Economics when that was part of the stable and I've lectured at a number of Mises University programs in the summer and at many other Mises Institute conferences and programs and I have to say I've taken more pleasure in this association than in any other I've ever had with any university or college or think tank or anything else.

4:06I think the Mises Institute is doing wonderful work, and if you'd asked me 20 years ago when I first became involved with it, where it would be 20 years later, I can assure you I would never have dreamed of the great success that has in fact been realized under Lew's leadership with the contributions of so many other wonderful people. We don't have Murray Rothbard with us anymore, but for years, Murray was the guiding light. He was the spark, he was the flame, and those summer conferences when Murray was there were Without Equal, listening to Murray and hanging out with him for hours in the evening.

5:02Murray was always the last one to go to bed after he'd worn out all the young people at maybe 3 or 4 a.m. But it was worth it, and I will guarantee you that all those young people who stayed up to 3 or 4 o'clock talking to Murray Rothbard will never forget it. So Murray was a great leader, a great inspiration for all of us connected with the Mises Institute and it's just a damn shame that Murray died as early as he did, but I have to say even in the time that he did live, he left a greater legacy than just about anyone you can think of.

5:48He's certainly among the three or four people that I could consider as candidates in terms of his intellectual legacy. So this has been a wonderful association for me and I'm just immensely pleased to receive this award. So thank you very much again.