The morning journal-courier., 1908-10-23
FEW GOOD POINTS
 IN PARTY POLITICS
tcontlnnod from Tlrst Pagel

a set of traditional phrases, Sometimes the bitterness that it cnsonders has gone SO far as to divide e nation into hostile camps and weaken it in the face of other countries, In our own Quieter times we do not need to fear that, but there arc ways in which it may prrVert the citizens judgment or superscde his independent thinking, The lecturer then examined in detail the way in which party allegiance af- fecta the mind, first of the average citizen ana then of the leader, whose own fortunes might be bound up with the fortunes of the party and proceed ed to Illustrate the latter from tho po- sltion of members of the house of com- mons in England. Generally speaking. while the leaders of party had per sonal interests strengthening thelr party spirit and determining their ac- ton, ordinary members of the party were more likely to accept minimizing ly whatever the majority of the party favored and 10 vote with a scanty eX- erclse Of their own Independent iudg- ment,
 The question of party spirit in municipal affairs was then considered, and the results of English and Scotch experiences stated In England about half the boroughs conducted local elections on party lines, in Scotland they were usually on-polltical. Con- siderlng that national politics had really nothing to do with local issues, and that the main object in cities must be to secure capable and honest administrators, 1t was better to keep party politics out of city elections. He understood that this was largely the case in the elections in Connecticut towns.
 As respects party spirit in national politics, that spirit was better than mere apathy because it stimulated the interest of the voter. 1t was far less dangerous than selfish personal in- terest, because 1t was not sordid II was the excess of a feeling in itself natural and wholesome. It must not be allowed 70 supersede independence or stine conscience,
 Although independence was good l thing and conscience a vital thing 1t was possible to magnify small diff ferencos and to lose the general per spcctIye of politics.
 Those who isolated themselves be- cause they attached undue importance to particular issues were apt to enc by becoming what were called il 1 America "cranks. tIn England the, hadn't thc name, but they had thN thing.D He described this class anC observed that hard as 1t was to "suf fer them badly," as St Pauls con vcrts suffered fools gladly, crank ought to be borne with. Tho frs pioneers of great causes had oftei been dcspisod as cranks by their owl contemporaries
 In conclusion he dwelt upon tn importance of the function which th body of average citizens whose chic Interest, though they belonged to
 part was the welfare of the country had in keeping the parties straigh and moderating the excesses of part spirit. Though leadership is essen tial to a democracy, tho reflex actio of the ordinary commonsensc hone' citizen was no less essential to tn party leaders. The people, in Abra
 ham Llncoln's sense of the word wer
 the force that kept parties in du check and in them lay ultimately tn
 safety of the state. They had a prac
 tical wisdom better than that of an
 one man or group, however wise.