But it
is not a smart thing. Quitting your party does not necessarily mean
independence. It may mean that, and then again it may mean stupidity;
and still again it may only mean a "sore head," as the political
phrase has it.
In a country as old as ours there finally comes to be in politics a
fundamental division. There is the constructive and progressive on the
one side, and the destructive and reactionary on the other side. These
are merely the centripetal and centrifugal forces of nature at work in
human society. Usually it is found that one of these parties is
naturally the Governing Party, and the other one is naturally the
Party of Opposition.
Not only your judgment but your instincts will tell you, young man, to
which one of these forces you belong. Each has its uses. You can well
serve your country in either organization. It is merely a question as
to whether you are in character and temperament a builder, a doer of
things, or a critic of things done and the doing of them. Each is
necessary.
I have no quarrel with your partizan creed, no matter what it is. That
is your business. But whatever you are, be National. Be broad. Do not
be deceived by catchwords.
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