Quote#Politics & Power
The Government of the absolute majority instead of the Government of…
Quote byJohn C. Calhoun · 1782–1850
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Speech to the U.S. Senate (15 February 1833).
English (original)
The Government of the absolute majority instead of the Government of the people is but the Government of the strongest interests; and when not efficiently checked, it is the most tyrannical and oppressive that can be devised.
— John C. Calhoun
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The very essence of a free government consists in considering offices as public trusts, bestowed for the good of the country, and not for the benefit of an individual or a party.
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it will be impossible to deny to the states the right of deciding on the infraction of their rights, and the proper remedy to be applied for the correction
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Protection and patriotism are reciprocal.
A power has risen up in the government greater than the people themselves, consisting of many and various and powerful interests, combined into one mass, and held together by the cohesive power of the vast surplus in the banks.