Principles and Heresies The Horizons of Conservatism

Every action has a reaction, and the recent intense concentration of conservatives on strictly political matters has engendered certain subjective attitudes among them that bear serious consideration. I am not referring to the critique of the 1964 campaign and the proposals for more effective use of conservative resources in the future, which I and others have discussed in these pages. Rather I am concerned with widespread manifestations of a spirit that would narrow down the sweep and meaning of the conservative movement to total concentration on the techniques and methods that can lead to victory at the polls.

There is nothing wrong, of course, with the effort to attain professional competence politically. Indeed, in the past conservatives have badly neglected these skills, and it is a great step forward that they have learned to appreciate them. But there is great danger presently of forgetting that they are just that—skills, and no more. Too much concentration on them leads inevitably to opportunism (elect a new duplicate of Eisenhower and hope he turns out all right) or demagogy (frighten the people by telling them that the natural working out of the Liberal world view is a Communist conspiracy, or a “Fabian” conspiracy, or a plot hatched out in the cellars of Foreign Affairs). The skills and techniques of political organization have their place in our society, but they are only secondary auxiliaries for a movement whose duty it is radically to transform the consciousness of an age.

FS

About the Author

Frank S. Meyer

Frank S. Meyer was a senior editor of National Review.

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Every action has a reaction, and the recent intense concentration of conservatives on strictly political matters has engendered certain subjective attitudes among them that bear serious consideration. I am not referring to the critique of the 1964 campaign and the proposals for more effective use of conservative resources in the future, which I and others have discussed in these pages. Rather I am concerned with widespread manifestations of a spirit that would narrow down the sweep and meaning of the conservative movement to total concentration on the techniques and methods that can lead to victory at the polls.

There is nothing wrong, of course, with the effort to attain professional competence politically. Indeed, in the past conservatives have badly neglected these skills, and it is a great step forward that they have learned to appreciate them. But there is great danger presently of forgetting that they are just that—skills, and no more. Too much concentration on them leads inevitably to opportunism (elect a new duplicate of Eisenhower and hope he turns out all right) or demagogy (frighten the people by telling them that the natural working out of the Liberal world view is a Communist conspiracy, or a “Fabian” conspiracy, or a plot hatched out in the cellars of Foreign Affairs). The skills and techniques of political organization have their place in our society, but they are only secondary auxiliaries for a movement whose duty it is radically to transform the consciousness of an age.