James Madison on tools of oppressors

Oppressors can tyrannize only when they achieve a standing army, an enslaved press, and a disarmed populace.

~ James Madison

James Madison
1894

Brian McClanahan on John Marshall's view of the Constitution as a "living," "elastic" document

"The people made the Constitution, and the people can unmake it.  It is a creature of their own will, and lives only by their will."  Those are the words of Chief Justice John Marshall in his 1821 Supreme Court ruling of Cohens v. Virginia.  It declared that the Supreme Court could review state supreme court decisions, reinforced the "supremacy clause" of the Constitution,and solidified the idea that the Constitution was a "living," "elastic" document.  Marshall was wrong in 1821, at least in regard to how the ratifiers intended the Constitution to be read, but his opinions have outlasted those of his opponents.  John Marshall might not be a household name to most Americans, but he is, along with Hamilton, one of the most important Federalists in American history.  The federal government would not be the same (or as powerful) without him.

~ Brion McClanahan, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers, p. 285

John Marshall
1894

Tom DiLorenzo on Henry Clay's time as general counsel of the Bank of the United States

Having incurred $40,000 in personal debt, [Henry] Clay left Congress for two years in 1822 to serve as general counsel of the Bank of the United States.  As Clay biographer Maurice Baxter explains,

His income from this business apparently amounted to what he needed [to pay off his personal debt]: three thousand dollars a year from the bank as chief counsel, more for appearing in specific cases; and a sizable amount of real estate in Ohio and Kentucky in addition to the cash... When he resigned to become Secretary of State in 1825, he was pleased with his compensation.

Who wouldn't be pleased?  In current dollars the amount of money Clay earned in just two years would be nearly a million dollars.

~ Tom DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln, p. 65

Henry Clay
1894

James Garfield on truth

The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.

~ James Garfield

James Garfield
1894