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Robert M. La Follette Sr. quotes
Publicity, discussion, and agitation are necessary to accomplish any work of lasting benefit.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
The universal conviction of those who yet believe in the rights of the people is that the first step toward the prevention of war and the establishment of peace, permanent peace, is to give the people who must bear the brunt of war's awful burden more to say about it.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
To control the American market is to own America.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
There is another plane of thought into which some have entered. It holds up a vision of a society redeemed by true democracy. It believes in a time when monopoly shall be no more, and labor and capital, no longer at war, shall cooperate to the wiping out of involuntary and undeserved poverty in an era of industrial equality and social peace.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
Free government is government by public opinion. Upon the soundness and integrity of public opinion depends the destiny of our democracy.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
Rather in time of war the citizen must be more alert to the preservation of his right to control his government. He must be most watchful of the encroachment of the military upon the civil power. He must beware of those precedents in support of arbitrary action by administrative officials, which excused on the plea of necessity in wartime, become the fixed rule when the necessity has passed and normal conditions have been restored.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
America is not made, but is in the making...Mere passive citizenship is not enough. Men must be aggressive for what is right if government is to be saved from those who are aggressive for what is wrong.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
I think all men recognize that in time of war the citizen must surrender some rights for the common good which he is entitled to enjoy in time of peace. But, sir, the right to control their own government according to constitutional forms is not one of the rights that the citizens of this country are called upon to surrender in time of war.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
The supreme issue, involving all others, is the encroachment of the powerful few upon the rights of the many.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
It has been well said that: "An enslaved press is doubly fatal; it not only takes away the true light; for in that case we might stand still, but it sets up a false light that decoys us to our destruction."
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
Except for the subserviency of most of the metropolitan newspapers, the great corporate interests would never have ventured upon the impudent, lawless consolidation of business, for the suppression of competition, the control of production, markets and prices. Except for this monstrous crime, 65 per cent of all the wealth of this country would not now be centralized in the hands of 2 per cent of the people.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
The setting up of a new, invisible and all powerful government in this country, within the last twenty years, in open violation of fundamental and statutory law, could not have been accomplished under the steady fire of a free and independent press.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
Mr. President, our government, above all others, is founded on the right of the people freely to discuss all matters pertaining to their government, in war not less than in peace, for in this government the people are the rulers in war no less than in peace.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
To befool and mislead the people, to falsify public opinion, is to pervert and destroy a republican form of government.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
When the Morgan and Rockefeller interests harmonized to consummate the great wrong, they well understood that they could not achieve their purpose against a hostile press. Hence they "took over" the newspapers. This does not necessarily mean the ownership of all newspapers. The perfection of the modern combination is little less than a Fine Art. Here again control is better than outright ownership. And control can be achieved through that community of interests, that interdependence of investment and credits which ties the publisher up to the banks, the advertisers, and special interests.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
Where public opinion is free and uncontrolled, wealth has a wholesome respect for the law.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
More than all, the citizen and his representative in Congress in time of war must maintain his right of free speech. More than in times of peace it is necessary that the channels for free public discussion of governmental policies shall be open and unclogged.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
Before the war is ended, the war party assumes the divine right to denounce and silence all opposition to war as unpatriotic and cowardly.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
In times of peace, the war party insists on making preparation for war. As soon as prepared for, it insists on making war.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
If there is no sufficient reason for war, the war party will make war on one pretext, then invent another.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
Every nation has its war party... It is commercial, imperialistic, ruthless. It tolerates no opposition.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
I shall support the President in the measures he proposes when I believe them to be right. I shall oppose measures proposed by the President when I believe them to be wrong.
Robert M. La Follette Sr.
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