General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"The Malefactors of Wealth"
My all-time favorite buzz phrase. And it is more relevant now than ever (see BANKS).
Why doesn't anyone use this now?
elleng
(130,973 posts)No individual,
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no corporation, obeying the law has any-
thing to fear from this Administration.
During the present trouble with the
stock market I have, of course, received
countless requests and suggestions, public
and. private, that I should say or do some-
thing to ease the situation, j There is a
world-wide financial disturbance; it is felt
in the bourses of Paris and Berlin; and
British consols are lower than for a gen-
eration, while British railway securities
have also depreciated. On the New
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York Stock Exchange the disturbance
'fe'
has been peculiarly severe. Most of it I be-
lieve to be due to matters not peculiar to the
United States, and most of the remainder
to matters wholly unconnected with any
governmental action; but it may well be
that the determination of the Government
(in which, gentlemen, it will not waver),
to punish certain malefactors of great
wealth, has been responsible for some-
thing of the trouble ; at least to the extent
of having caused these men to combine to
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bring about as much financial stress as
possible, in order to discredit the policy
of the Government and thereby secure a
reversal of that policy, so that they may
enjoy unmolested the fruits of their own
evil-doing. That they have misled many
good people into believing that there should
be such reversal of policy is possible. If so
I am sorry; but it will not alter my attitude.
ll Once for all let me say that so far as I am
concerned, and for the eighteen months of
my Presidency that remain, there will be
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no change in the policy we have steadily
pursued, no let up in the effort to secure
the honest observance of the law ; for I re-
gard this contest as one to determine who
shall rule this free country the people
through their governmental agents or a
few ruthless and domineering men, whose
wealth makes them peculiarly formi-
dable, because they hide behind the
breastworks of corporate organization.
I wish there to be no mistake on this
point; it is idle to ask me not to prose-
50
cute criminals, rich or poor.
http://www.archive.org/stream/addressofpreside00roo/addressofpreside00roo_djvu.txt
LOTS MORE great stuff in this very long speech. 'Malefactors of great wealth. . .'
It's even more relevant today than I thought! Thanks for the link.
elleng
(130,973 posts)Have you read the entire speech? Quite amazing, and amplifies reason for TR to be among the greats at Mt. Rushmore.