With a tally-ho, Free Staters go to Granite State

With a tally-ho, Free Staters go to Granite State

Editorial • 10/04/03

Through a complicated voting process, members of the "Free State Project" have selected New Hampshire, rather than Wyoming, for what organizers have described as the biggest experiment in democracy since the Revolutionary War.

The aim is to recruit 20,000 "liberty-loving" transplants to New Hampshire, where, by the weight of their numbers, Free Staters will have a profound impact on state politics.

The reaction from New Hampshire, where the state motto is "Live Free of Die," has been mixed. The chairman of the state's Libertarian Party heartily approves; the Republican governor also is supportive. On the other hand, Kathy Sullivan, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, is much less enamored, telling the Associated Press project members "can best be described as anarchists."

Project Vice President Elizabeth McKinstry of Ann Arbor, Mich., says the organization will now act as a kind of clearinghouse for people looking for homes and work in New Hampshire.

We think the Free State Project is an interesting idea, though not a novel one. The notion of concentrating like-minded people for maximum effect was also the design of the "Wyoming Project," which was conceived at Stony Brook College in New York during the late 1960s. That one barely got off the ground.

One big success of simpatico souls was the Mormon migration to Utah, where members simply started their own state, but the Free State Project is no Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

For one thing, it is doubtful organizers can amass the numbers to match their aspirations. Ms. McKinstry notes that of the group's 5,500 members, 1,000 have already decided against moving to New Hampshire. Further, without 20,000 members committed to making the move, the relocation won't even formally begin.

Wyoming Libertarian Party Chairman Dave Dawson has suggested people not moving to New Hampshire might move to Wyoming instead, thereby creating a second "Free State." But creating an option would dilute the political power that arises from congregating in a single state, and thus undermine the basic objective of the project.

In addition, it is not clear how much Free Staters actually have in common, other than being "liberty oriented" and sharing a desire to reduce the size and scope of government. While the majority tend to be libertarian in outlook, if not always Libertarian Party members, Ms. McKinstry notes the project is unrelated to any political party: "I'm not a member of the Libertarian Party, and I'm not actually a big fan of the Libertarian Party," she said.

An absence of more than a superficial accord might prove vexing. "Our members' philosophy is that being free and independent is a great way to live, and that government's maximal role should be to defend individuals from force and fraud," the project's Web site reads -- not exactly the type of mission statement that stirs the blood to united action, after the manner of Patrick Henry, nor resonates with moral certitude, like the pronouncements of Brigham Young.

Still, it's difficult not to appreciate the pluck of the Free State Project, and while Wyoming won't be in the front row, we'll be watching with interest from the cheap seats.

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