I recently asked a friend who is active in the Libertarian Party what Republicans could learn from libertarians. He gave a one-word reply: "Principles!" Now this is a tough answer for anybody who is active in partisan politics, as I learned long ago. It may be one reason why the Libertarian Party is so small despite the attractiveness of much of its platform. Politics is the art of commanding a majority and, sad to say, principles do not today command a majority of the American electorate. Whatever principles es you may name, you can find a majority opposed to the practical consequences of any of them. That's why "politics is the art of the possible," why "let's do a deal" is a favorite buzz-phrase.

It is still worthwhile for Republicans to keep principles in mind, to get educated on their own announced principles, and to examine all policy proposals for consistency with such principles. These may be the times when unpopular positions may win the day, simply because the principled approach to the issues acts as an antidote to the widespread and poisonous cynicism that the public has for those who hold public office and those who aspire to it.

Examples: Republican principles include: (1) limited government, no larger than absolutely necessary; (2) individual liberty to "be the best you can be, " as one Republican spokesman puts it; (3) free trade; and (4) in foreign policy, America as example, not world policeman.

Now to the applications. America served as world policeman in the Gulf War. A brilliant success (for once), but a violation of the fourth principle above, following in the footsteps of a Democrat, Woodrow Wilson. There are new technological tricks that make big government easier, such as the smart ID card and the Clipper Chip. Are Republicans opposing these on principle? Some are, but not enough of them. Subsidies to agriculture, destroying the family farm they were supposed to preserve. Are these being ended under the Gingrich revolution? No, too many Republicans are abandoning principle and caving in to special interests (their campaign donors back home). How about the War on Drugs? Principle says to end it, but too many Republicans favor filling our prisons, wasting tax dollars, and making our government bigger instead. And the agenda of the Religious Right is prevailing in the party, even though, in a general election, they don't have the votes, and their theocratic principles certainly are not the Republican principles given above.

Another, more radical, area is structure. How did government evolve from what the Founding Fathers gave us to what we have now? History, not well known, will tell us. The 14th Amendment; the 1 6th income Tax) Amendment; the enactment of the Federal Reserve system; court rulings on the scope of the treaty-making power of Congress; Franklin Roosevelt's measures in 1933; wars in general; these and many more have led to a steady and enormous expansion of the power and intrusiveness of the Federal government, a situation lamented publicly by most Republicans but contested by hardly any. The key here, as Republicans tend to forget, is not government spending as such, but curtailment of liberty. We now live under what can be rightly called democratic fascism, with libertarians objecting strenuously and Republicans saying the words but not understanding the problem and going along with most of the practical consequences. Libertarians have many lessons for Republicans here.