Thomas Jefferson Quotes
I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of the country.
Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, 3rd President of the United States (Democratic Republican, VA), 1814
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The President had decided to aggressively push for railroad regulation to end the rate rebate abuses that were used to support the monopolies like Standard Oil. In vintage Roosevelt tactics, he gave his first major speech on the subject in the setting and forum that would be most opposed to it. The Union League Club of Philadelphia in included the wealthiest men in the area where were most opposed to any Federal Regulation of anything. All the major railroad executives and stock owners and traders were also members. The President wanted to persuade the opponents to change their positions, and sometimes he did. He also was driven by his concept of sports and athletics so that the “opposition” should have “fair notice” for the contest ahead.
Jefferson, who was so brilliant and farsighted with respect to so many things from agriculture to government management had one great weakness. He really did not understand and generally disliked, banking, finance, industry, large manufacturing. His famous disagreements with Alexander Hamilton were mostly over these areas in which Hamilton was so effective at creating America with a strong national economy. Between them, America was started off in the right direction in all areas.
Goldman Sachs, one of the largest worldwide financial corporation, not only spent millions on lobbyists to shape government law and regulation, but its ex-officials served on high government positions including Treasury Secretary. They also give large amounts to finance campaigns of Congressmen and other public officials who were then very sympathetic to Goldman Sachs’ welfare. There is no practical way a citizen voter can overcome that situation, especially by exercising the voting franchise.
He had just retired after 24 years in Congress.
There is a very interesting parallel with the views and statements of FDR at the same time.
His last speech before his appointment to the court.
The State Department has always been reluctant to have the US Government make an official condemnation of the Turkish. Prior to the end of WWI. Turkey’s Ottoman Empire controlled most of the Middle East which was discovered to be full of oil. Armenia had no oil. The State Department since then (and until the 1970s) it has made it a top priority to advocate for Standard Oil and other American oil companies with the Turks and then the Arabs regardless of the morality of the situation. Despite the fact that virtually every American leader wanted to advocate for the Armenians, the State Department held fast to not
upset Turkey about the Armenian Genocide. Cardashian was the first American who openly stated what the real motivation was. See {638251}, {620602}, {620603}, {620604}, {620605}, and {620606}
Thomas Jefferson was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He had previously served as the second vice president of the United States under John Adams between 1797 and 1801. The principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights, motivating American colonists to break from the Kingdom of Great Britain and form a new nation; he produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national levels.
