travel books: were, so long as in your own mind you associated your opinions with the one particular party. It is obvious that, if you write to The Times (as most of the club did) and sign your letter DISGUSTED LIBERAL, you may find yourself saying the same sort of things about Mr. Lloyd George or Free Trade or Land Policy, as is the man in the club over the way who is signing his letter TRUE CONSERVATIVE, but the fact remains that you are as widely removed from him in politics as is DISGUSTED CONSERVATIVE from TRUE LIBERAL. In other words, Liberals are Liberals and Conservatives are Conservatives, and to turn a man out of his club because he remains constant to the opinions which his Party has basely forsworn is no way to treat a fellow-voter -always supposing that he is still good for the twenty-guinea subscription. Reginald had no politics. There are at least a million voters who have no politics. This makes them entirely unprejudiced when they vote Conservative. They can quote themselves in an unprejudiced way as an example to waverers. Here am L I don't belong to any party. Never have. But if you ask me how I'm going to vote, I tell you frankly... Very effective it sounds. Some overdo it and add that they are really Liberals, but that the time has come when all honest men... Reginald, however, was not one of these. A belief in the comfort of the club was all the politics he had. He never voted. I3ildersham, who did everything which a man should do, asked him once what he thought would happen if nobody voted. `I don't know,' said Reginald frankly. `What do you think?' Hildersham, who had never thought, replied indignantly that civilization, as such, would come to an end. books

Books > Old Books > Two People (1932)

Page 28

CHAPTER TWO

were, so long as in your own mind you associated your opinions with the one particular party. It is obvious that, if you write to The Times (as most of the club did) and sign your letter DISGUSTED LIBERAL, you may find yourself saying the same sort of things about Mr. Lloyd George or Free Trade or Land Policy, as is the man in the club over the way who is signing his letter TRUE CONSERVATIVE, but the fact remains that you are as widely removed from him in politics as is DISGUSTED CONSERVATIVE from TRUE LIBERAL. In other words, Liberals are Liberals and Conservatives are Conservatives, and to turn a man out of his club because he remains constant to the opinions which his Party has basely forsworn is no way to treat a fellow-voter -always supposing that he is still good for the twenty-guinea subscription.
Reginald had no politics. There are at least a million voters who have no politics. This makes them entirely unprejudiced when they vote Conservative. They can quote themselves in an unprejudiced way as an example to waverers. Here am L I don't belong to any party. Never have. But if you ask me how I'm going to vote, I tell you frankly... Very effective it sounds. Some overdo it and add that they are really Liberals, but that the time has come when all honest men...
Reginald, however, was not one of these. A belief in the comfort of the club was all the politics he had. He never voted. I3ildersham, who did everything which a man should do, asked him once what he thought would happen if nobody voted.
`I don't know,' said Reginald frankly. `What do you think?'
Hildersham, who had never thought, replied indignantly that civilization, as such, would come to an end.