History Lesson: What Some Previous Presidents Thought Of Corporate Power
President Theodore Roosevelt
It is clear what some of our previous Presidents believed as they began, built, and continued to facilitate the American Dream… that the people of this great nation come first.
“I hope we shall… crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government in a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
“There is an evil which ought to be guarded against in the indefinite accumulation of property from the capacity of holding it in perpetuity by corporations. The power of all corporations ought to be limited in this respect. The growing wealth acquired by them never fails to be a source of abuses.” ~ James Madison
“In this point of the case the question is distinctly presented whether the people of the United States are to govern through representatives chosen by their unbiased suffrages or whether the money and power of a great corporation are to be secretly exerted to influence their judgment and control their decisions.” ~ Andrew Jackson
“We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing its end. It has cost a vast amount of treasure and blood… It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions may prove groundless.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
“These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert to fleece the people, and now that they have got into a quarrel with themselves, we are called upon to appropriate the people’s money to settle the quarrel.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
“I am more than ever convinced of the dangers to which the free and unbiased exercise of political opinion – the only sure foundation and safeguard of republican government – would be exposed by any further increase of the already overgrown influence of corporate authorities.” ~ Martin Van Buren
“As we view the achievements of aggregated capital, we discover the existence of trusts, combinations, and monopolies, while the citizen is struggling far in the rear or is trampled to death beneath an iron heel. Corporations, which should be the carefully restrained creatures of the law and the servants of the people, are fast becoming the people’s masters.” ~ Grover Cleveland
“I again recommend a law prohibiting all corporations from contributing to the campaign expenses of any party. Let individuals contribute as they desire; but let us prohibit in effective fashion all corporations from making contributions for any political purpose, directly or indirectly.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
“The fortunes amassed through corporate organization are now so large, and vest such power in those that wield them, as to make it a matter of necessity to give to the sovereign – that is, to the Government, which represents the people as a whole – some effective power of supervision over their corporate use. In order to insure a healthy social and industrial life, every big corporation should be held responsible by, and be accountable to, some sovereign strong enough to control its conduct.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
“We stand for the rights of property, but we stand even more for the rights of man. We will protect the rights of the wealthy man, but we maintain that he holds his wealth subject to the general right of the community to regulate its business use as the public welfare requires.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
“A small group had concentrated into their own hands an almost complete control over other people’s property, other people’s money, other people’s labor – other people’s lives. For too many of us life was no longer free; liberty no longer real; men could no longer follow the pursuit of happiness.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
“These economic royalists complain that we seek to overthrow the institutions of America. What they really complain of is that we seek to take away their power. Our allegiance to American institutions requires the overthrow of this kind of power. In vain they seek to hide behind the flag and the Constitution. In their blindness they forget what the flag and the Constitution stand for.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
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Author: Sarah Wood
7:53 am
Great Article! It,however, needs citations. I would be leary of quoting something if I had not reviewed its setting and context – especially when there are ellipses in the quote. I would really appreciate the citations, because I would really like to use some of these quotes. They are right on.
5:13 am
I have read the Jefferson quote in the Library of America edition of his collected writings. As to the others, I wish the author had included the sources.
10:39 am
RIGHT ON! Kudos to Sarah Wood. Wish this article could have been publicized before the “Citizens United” decision. Please post it again when the Justice (term used loosely) Thomas recall hearings begin. Thanks.
10:36 am
Verification of Lincoln quote:
The passage appears in a letter from Lincoln to (Col.) William F. Elkins, Nov. 21, 1864.
For a reliable pedigree, cite p. 40 of The Lincoln Encyclopedia, by Archer H. Shaw (Macmillan, 1950, NY). That traces the quote’s lineage to p. 954 of Abraham Lincoln: A New Portrait, (Vol. 2) by Emanuel Hertz (Horace Liveright Inc, 1931, NY).
10:22 pm
Archer Shaw’s Lincoln Encyclopedia is unreliable. Please read the snopes.com article I originally cited: http://www.snopes.com/quotes/lincoln.asp
10:29 am
The Lincoln quote about “the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed” has never been verified. You can try searching for it on Google books–none of Lincoln’s published writings contain those words. They do turn up, however, in the speeches and essays of political writers several decades after Lincoln’s death. In all likelihood these politicians and writers were putting words in Lincoln’s mouth to further their own agendas.
For more information, see http://www.snopes.com/quotes/lincoln.asp
10:39 am
Verification of Lincoln quote:
The passage appears in a letter from Lincoln to (Col.) William F. Elkins, Nov. 21, 1864.
For a reliable pedigree, cite p. 40 of The Lincoln Encyclopedia, by Archer H. Shaw (Macmillan, 1950, NY). That traces the quote’s lineage to p. 954 of Abraham Lincoln: A New Portrait, (Vol. 2) by Emanuel Hertz (Horace Liveright Inc, 1931, NY).
10:43 am
BAMMO! Good shot, Sarah – and another Teabagger Troll hits the dust!
10:18 pm
I am not a “Teabagger Troll” Mr. Fisher. Had you taken the time to actually read the link I posted, or googled me, you would know that. But someone you’ve never heard of raises a legitimate objection to the authenticity of a quotation in Ms. Wood’s post, and you rush to the conclusion that I must be a Tea Party member simply because I challenged one quote in Ms. Wood’s post.
Abraham Lincoln’s writings are readily available on Google books and many other places on the Internet. Please let me know if you can actually find it in a book of Lincoln’s actual writings or letters.
9:56 am
Please read the snopes.com reference by Mr. Hertzog which indicates that the “authentication” is less than persuasive. I hold no brief for the TPers or the neocons but I do like to know the facts before arguing a point. I have seen so many “non-quotes” posted by the latter day “American Know-Nothing Party” enthusiasts that I trust no one (we know where that came from). The worst is the attribution to Thomas Jefferson of a line from Gerald Ford (“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have”). Not many remember him except for his pratfalls, his Whip Inflation Now buttons, and the first swine flu vaccine fiasco (Michelle Bachmann incorrectly attributed the swine flu as occuring on Jimmy Carter’s watch but what is new for her?)
9:08 am
Great post! All these leaders knew the enemy for what it is. Now, how can we turn the current situation around? It’s going to be a slow process, which MUST begin with the removal of injustices Scalia and Thomas from the Supremes. These bought-and-paid-for criminal – oh, wait – they DEFINE the law, so when THEY do it, it’s not illegal – these thieves, these usurpers of the rights of humans (they may have made corporations ‘people’, but they can’t make them HUMAN) must be removed from the catbird seat they currently occupy. Else they will simply overturn any legislation that is fair to the people but not the oligarchs.
Second, we must rescind the very CONCEPT of the for-profit corporation that is required to put profits ahead of human consequences. Overturn the laws governing the existence of corporations and make the top priority human condition, and profit ONLY after safety and ecologic sustainability are satisfied.
Like this will ever happen. But I didn’t say it WOULD take place, only that it MUST or we will soon all be slaves to the NWO (if we aren’t already…)
11:05 am
As long as there is Corporate Globalization “We The People” will suffer.
Corporations, including the media have sold “We The People” the CHEAP CRAP from China and other 3rd world nations and “We The People” are now spoiled with idea of “Cheap Imports”. When any country gets to point that they import more GDP than export. The people always suffer. We no longer have a middle class. We have the Super Wealthy and the Poor…
10:03 am
Which I believe is the “Kochists’” ultimate goal. A plutocracy with lots of servants happily working 12 hours for an honest dollar. No doubt they dream of a Victorian utopia free from the frivolous nusances like human rights and encourage the “useful idiots” who push their agenda to the gullible. Unfortunately the majority of voters never learned to think critically and rely on Fox News for fair and balanced reporting. Give them enough reality shows and cheap gasoline and they will vote themselves into political bondage for life.