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09/17/2009 04:48:12 PM · #1 |
The word racism is being thrown around quite a bit lately. My take is that what we are seeing is more along the lines of party prejudice. It is keeping us from having any kind of progress.
This was written in 1892.
"At the outset of any effort to reform our methods of
government or to improve the condition of the people, we
are confronted by a mountain of party prejudice. This
consists of 1, the conviction that one's party contains
nearly all the good people, and that the other party is
largely composed of the worst elements of society; 2, that
upon the success of one's party depends the welfare and
perpetuity of all good government; 3, that fealty to one's
party, to its every measure and every candidate, is the
first duty of every good citizen, and that one who fails
to support his party is a bolter and a traitor; 4, that
loyalty and patriotism mean subservience to party
dictates; 5, that whatever the party papers and speakers
say mu8t be true, and goez ; 6, that duty to family, to
church, to society, to the country are second to duty to
party.
Partisan prejudice leads to submission to "party tyranny.
It becomes the whip and the club by which good men are
forced to submit to the dictates of the party bosses ;
by which the man who hates the saloon is compelled to
vote and work in its interest, and by which a man who
abhors iniquity and despises a corrupt man is made to
march up to the polls and cast a ballot for men he knows
are corrupt, and who may vote or work for such schemes
as they are paid to work for, though they be subversive
of all good government and wasteful of the people's
wealth."
Lyman Allen, 1892
I've been reading this book non-stop since I found it here. Lyman Allen is more famous for being a poet. I think he is a brilliant writer. A lot of it hits on current issues such as fear of change and national ownership... of course he is talking more along the lines of prohibition and railroads.
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09/17/2009 05:01:00 PM · #2 |
| that's a very interesting read. I think that all prejudice, including racism is some specific form of party prejudice. Whether based on class, or race, religion or political leanings. |
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09/17/2009 05:09:04 PM · #3 |
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09/18/2009 12:21:15 AM · #4 |
A GREAT read so far. Here is one more bump for Political Problems by Lyman Allen, 1892
"PREFACE
There obtains in the minds of a large and increasing
number of .people, a conviction that we fall far short of
living by the full light of modern knowledge and experience
; that the masses of the people do not receive an
equitable share of the fruits of their labor, and do not
enjoy an adequate measure of benefit from the cumulated
results of human labor, study, research and invention ;
that in a land of abundant wealth and production there
should not be such want, such privation and such necessity
for unremitting toil ; that somehow and somewhere
there must be grave errors in our system of society, in
our commercial life or in our government, much waste
and loss and injustice, to cause the wide difference in
condition between the many who toil through life for a
bare living, and the few who are possessed with abundant
wealth."
Lyman Allen Here is his book
Message edited by author 2009-09-18 00:28:32. |
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09/18/2009 01:44:44 AM · #5 |
Oh if it were only so.
Writing off what is going on under the surface as party politics is quite simple and an easy way to make us feel better, unfortunately it is an uglier issue than that. Racism is based on intolerance, fear and hatred. It exists in America and has been brought back up to the surface by politics to be sure, but it is still racism based on those three things. I cringe when I see politicians and political commentators using it to further a political agenda. It is a sad time for us. |
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