Wow, two major hits on one day! What a beautiful quote and this ties into the post I made in response to some of Eva's questions. I might add that Eisenhower also made similar observations about the military industrial complex. These bits of wisdom have been forgotten and ignored or should you believe in conspiracy theories, deliberatly sidelined. Quote from By Canoe and Dog Train Among the Cree and Salteax Indians by Rev Egerton R. Young Published in 1890 Page 8 It is also an encouraging sign of the times, that the Government of the mightiest republic the world ever saw is waking up to its responsibility, and, as if to atone for the misdeeds of its agents and the sad blunders of the past, is entering on a new career, resolved that justice, although long delayed, shall yet be meted out to its Indian subjects. The "blood and iron" policy was a disgrace to American civilisation and to our common Christianity. The effort to make the Indian "decent by force" has been a complete failure. The force of honest, straightforward example will do vastly more. By right-thinking people General Grant deserves ever to be held in kindly remembrance for his "peace policy." When so-called friends urged him to make a change in it, his reply was characteristic of the man, and worthy to be remembered: If the present policy towards Indians can be improved in any way, I will always be ready to receive suggestions on the subject. I do not believe our Creator ever placed different races of men on this earth with a view to having the stronger exert all his energies in the extermination of the weaker. If an change takes place in the Indian policy of the Government while I hold my present office, it will be on the humanitarian side of the question." End of Quote On the news last night, there was a comment that the poorest county in the United States is the PineRidge Reservation of the Sioux Nation. It is my belief that they are still being punished by an influential group in the US for the military defeat of General Custer. There are forces that have taken the wisdom of Lincoln, Grant, and Eisenhower and made it unaccessbile. Other futures were possible other than the capitalistic present we currently have. Other choices could have been made. It is our shortsightness that assumes that the current reality is the only reality possible - not so and the future does not have to be an extension of our current reality - other choices can be made - even now - that would create different and more benign futures than the globalistic, capitalistic, democratic party system is driving us towards. Let us all post our small contributions - let us use the wisdom of leaders of the past to expose the truths of today - that would be good work. Respectfully, Thomas Lunde ---------- >From: Mark Graffis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: graffis-l <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: [graffis-l] Text of Abe Lincoln quote on corporations >Date: Fri, Jun 18, 1999, 12:15 PM > > From: Mark Graffis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > From: Tom Wodetzki <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 5:56 PM > Subject: Abe Lincoln quote on corporations challenged > > Dear Alliance folks; I've used a great quote by Lincoln (below) on the > looming corporate danger. Then it was called bogus in a local paper. Here's > my response: > > Dear Editor; Harold Ericsson wrote a Letter to the Editor (6/9) > saying I misquoted Abe Lincoln about his fear of upcoming corporate > domination. Harold called it bogus and a fake. Maybe so, I thot. Easy to > check out: I just did a web search using a dozen or so words from the quote > and found 43 entries, including this brief article, which starts with the > quote in question and refutes Harold's charges thoroughly: > > What Lincoln Foresaw: > Corporations Being "Enthroned" After the Civil War > and Re-Writing the Laws Defining Their Existence > > by Rick Crawford, [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Here is a sobering quote by Abe Lincoln: > > "I see in the near future a crisis approaching that > unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of > my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned and > an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the > money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its > reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until > all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic > is destroyed." > > -- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864 > (letter to Col. William F. Elkins) > Ref: The Lincoln Encyclopedia, Archer H. Shaw > (Macmillan, 1950, NY) > > Some people expressed doubts about its authenticity, given > Lincoln's work as an attorney for railroad corporations! It was an > interesting job tracking it down and verifying its authenticity. > > The first ref I heard for this quote was Jack London's 1908 Iron > Heel. And although the quote indeed appears there (near p. 100), > Jack London offered neither context nor source. > > More recently, David Korten's book, When Corporations Rule the > World (1995, Kumarian Press), sources the quote to Harvey > Wasserman (America Born and Reborn, Macmillan, 1983, p. 89-90, > 313), who in turn sources it to Paha Sapa Reports, the newspaper > of the Black Hills Alliance, Rapid City, South Dakota, 4 March > 1982. But given Wasserman's ties to Howard Zinn, and his status as > co-founder (?) of the Liberation News Service, citing that kind of > trail is like waving a red flag for the skeptics ;-) > > Fortunately, after some burrowing in the univ. library, I was able > to confirm its authenticity. Here it is, with more surrounding > context: > > "We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing > its end. It has cost a vast amount of treasure and blood... > It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but I > see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me > and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a > result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an > era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money > power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by > working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is > aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. > > I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my > country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God > grant that my suspicions may prove groundless." > > The passage appears in a letter from Lincoln to (Col.) William F. > Elkins, Nov. 21, 1864. > > For a reliable pedigree, cite p. 40 of The Lincoln Encyclopedia, > by Archer H. Shaw (Macmillan, 1950, NY). That traces the quote's > lineage to p. 954 of Abraham Lincoln: A New Portrait, (Vol. 2) by > Emanuel Hertz (Horace Liveright Inc, 1931, NY). > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Campaign 2000 is here! > http://www.onelist.com > Discuss your thoughts; get informed at ONElist. See our homepage. >
