2012 – Republican or Democrat?
On May Day (also called International Workers’ Day) which is now morphing into a day of general protest, not just workers rights, I found this nugget of wisdom from an 1864 magazine article. It makes you realize how far we have gone off track as a country when it comes to partisan politics and what is best for the country.
“Patriotism means love of the institutions and customs and peoples of one’s country in general. Loyalty is allegiance, not, as elsewhere or in former times, to kings and nobles, but to the Constitution and laws of our country in both its State and Federal forms. Loyalty to an administration or party may be disloyalty in the true sense of the word, and must be so, if the administration or party be itself unfaithful to the Constitution and laws. Our oath and duty of allegiance are to the Constitution, and not to any administration. The President is not the government, but an administrator of it, according to the laws of the Constitution, and he, as every other officer is sworn to administer it according to that standard and in allegiance to it. They owe the same allegiance we do.”
To the publisher of this obscure but, necessary blog….
Thank for the excerpt. How on earth did you find it????
It brought tears to my eyes.
Thanks so much for your blog.
Thank you for your kind words.
Found it by reading a few issues of the magazine. They had some interesting articles. Back issues available for free online.