Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-22
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY sa. 1891.
PATRIOTISM AND PARTIZANSHIP.

PATRIOTISM AND PARTIZANSHIP.
In country where popular form of
government prevails there must be
political parties, and the existence Of
such parties is not necessary evil to
the country, but of the highest benefit,
where their action is on lines OF fairness
between themselves, and directed to the
just government of the people under the
organic laws of the land and according
to the fundamental principles OF the
parties. But the effect of any party is
towards the ruin of the country when
the party's interests are allowed to be-
come paramount to the good OF the
people as awhole. Patriotism is love of
country; partizanship is love of party.
Patriotism will always prefer the last
ing and universal good of the country,
rather than the personal and temporary
good of the office-holding members OF
any party. That is, patriotism must be
paramount to partizanship, or the coun-
try will suffer.
In country like ours, where the or
ganic and statute laws SO closely and
clearly define the rights of the govern
ment and the duties of the several
branches thereof, party lines must nee
essarily be drawn for the definition of
1finciples altogether secondary in their
bearing upon the welfare of the people.
In other words party differences must
be as to matters of policy more or less
non-essential. Our own country in its
present conditions is striking exam
pie of the correctness of the premises
here laid down. There is really no mat
ter at issue between our national parties
on which the immediate life of the ma
ton depends. The tariff schedule is a
matter of mere expediency. So is the
question of the free coinage Of silver.
The nearest to fundamental principle
at stake between the parties in the re-
public today is the tendency of one
party towards the Capitalization of
power, and the exalting of the federal
government to position OF para
mount ascendency over the internal
affairs of the several states, designed to
be sovereign and independent by the
very terms of federation. But all these
principles are slow in working toward
ultimate ends, where their effect would
become very marked in the results of
government. As such tendencies be-
come more and more manifest, the plain
people, incapable Of forecastipg such ef-
fects, will see how pernicious they are,
and will in time so change their party
fealty as to render nugatory these prin-
ciples by the repeal of bad laws and the
passing of good ones.
The premises here briefly sketched are
SO automatic that they need no argu-
ment to prove them. They are so read
lily acceptable to even partially intelli-
gent minds conversant with our political
affairs. that one feels under some obli-
cation to apologize for their statement.
But there is an Importance attaching to
such statement not generally apparent
at first glance. The human mind is
strongly resistive to any ~inducement
held out to shift its position as
to opinions of weight, especially
where they have been held for years.
Here is where patriotism and partizan-
ship clash. Allegiance to party is often
felt to be duty when the highest bene-
fit the citizen can confer on. his country
would be to change parties. There is a
certain pride, too, in being consistent,
and natural reluctance to confess ones
self on the wrong side that tends to
make the average man very obstinate in
clinging to party and its tenets. But
common as these views are, and power
full as is this influence over the mind,
the whole matter is false in philosophy
and subversive OF patriotism.
As Cicero says in the opening OF one
of his famous orations, "Times change,
and we change in them" There is the
keynote to this situation. The tenets
of parties under such government as
ours are of non essentials. What is eX-
pedient today may be inexpedient
tomorrow. Or a policy that is bene-
fetal as administered in one degree at
one time, may be better, modified by
increase or diminution at another. 1t
is the duty of every good citizen to be-
long to his country first, and to his
party afterwards. Patriotism will lead
every intelligent citizen to weigh care
fully the conditions OF the immediate
era, and the effect of any given princi-
pie or line of policy on the welfare of
the whole country under existing cir
and to govern himself ac-
cordingly. The premises With which we
started out may be automatic, and the
we have made may be so
plain that the runner along the way
sides OF life, can read them as he runs.
It may be SO; and yet many excellent
citizens do not act according to these
deductions. There are no end of people
Who cling blindly to their party, merely
it has been their party for
ears: and then some people take it for
granted that line of policy tends to