Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Quotes
The government relationship to people phrase, although probably Lincoln's most famous, was not totally original. John Adams came close in a 1774 proclamation. As did John Marshall in his McCulloch v. Maryland decision. Daniel Webster's Speech on Foot's Resolution was very close. as was Theodore Parker in 1850 {629578}. There was also Thomas Cooper in 1795. But the earliest appears to be John Wycliffe in 1382 {567292}. It is not known with which of these Lincoln was familiar.
Actually originated by William Jennings Bryan in a 1900 campaign speech. See {640984} . The slogan became the name and first line of a poem and also a song. See {609937}
There are many democracies that have run into this problem at many times. Even the United States had situations like this. The Adams-Jefferson Presidential Contest caused President Adams to curtail civil rights so he could not be as viciously attacked. The polarization after the first Black was elected president in 2008 was another period of destructive contention and polarization.
Huey P. Long credited this quotation for the origin of his famous slogan, "Every Man a King, but No Man Wears a Crown”. See {609936}
Taft, very progressive on racial matters, was a little too optimistic. The “intelligent” Southerners were in the small minority. Only a week after Taft made this statement, Joseph Gorden, a Negro, was lynched outside Greenwood, Mississippi.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910
“Magistrates” at the time were rulers and heads of government and state. There was little or no separation of powers and the chief magistrate could make edicts and laws, enforce them and be the judge and jury as well. In the United States, the President is also called the “Chief Magistrate” even though his powers are only within the Executive Branch. For us today, “Magistrate” usually refers to a judge or other official of the Judicial Branch.
His first public speech after being elected President
The Supreme court ruled that monetary campaign contributions were a form of political speech and as such could not be limited. The result was that the richest people and the largest corporations could pay any politician any amount of money if the called it a campaign contribution. Under the Congressional rules at the time there were ways that the so called campaign contributions could be used for the legislator’s personal and family benefit and when members of Congress retired there were ways that they could take their “unspent” campaign funds with them for personal use. The resultant system was what Senator McCain called “bribery”, which before the Supreme Court rendered this decision was a felony. That which had been unethical and criminal became legal.
conservative justices in the majority McCain held this view despite the fact that most other politicians applauded the decision since the large, wealthy corporations tended to support Republicans.
