Written by: Beck

The Mises Institute, official home of the Austrian school of economics, recently published an interesting article which is especially timely considering Answerman's recent writing about how 9/11 brought to the fore differences--previously relatively minor--among different flavors of conservatives. For those not familiar with the Austrian school of economics, they are essentially a fairly extreme offshoot of Libertarians who are heavily anti-government, pro-market, (very) anti-war, and pro-immigration.

The article, aptly titled The Awful Truth about Republicans, attempts to show that the behavior of Republicans during the Bush administration should come as no surprise to those familiar with the history of the Republican party. As authors Robert B. Ekelund, Jr., and Mark Thornton tellingly observe:

The Republican Party was established as a party of big government and economic intervention. Their reputation as a party of limited government is of more recent vintage and stands on a flimsy foundation.

The article goes on to give a resume of early Republican influences which would make a modern Conservative blush.

The Republican Party that emerged in the 1850s was an amalgamation of historical influences, third parties, and interest groups. One group that entered the Republican Party was the Free Soil Party, whose primary platform was free land and subsidies for farmers...

Also joining the Republican Party in the 1850s were supporters of the Know Nothing Party. The Know Nothings were most concerned about immigrants coming into the country, competing against labor, and suppressing wages. They favored restrictive immigration and protective tariffs to keep wages high...

The Whig Party formed the core of the Republican Party with its economic platform consisting of protectionism for industry, a national bank and currency, a large national debt, and a larger federal government engaged in extensive public works.

Also joining the Republican ranks were the Prohibitionists and the Abolitionists.

About the only thing the Republicans of 1850 got right was opposition to slavery.

While it is clearly a mistake to judge the party on beliefs it held over 150 years ago--it is no secret to political historians that Republican and Democratic parties largely traded sides, with the pivotal period occurring upon the election of FDR & his implementation of the New Deal--still, the historical comparison bears consideration for its value as a warning to modern conservatives. After all, we're certainly not going to do ourselves any favors by voting for a Democrat, and if you want to provide an example to the people of the world how NOT to do things, you need look no further than Europe. Take warning Republicans, with control of both the Legislative and the Executive branch, we have much to gain, but we have everything to lose.