I find myself in the unenviable position sandwiched between two prevaricators. Which to choose? I think I’ll go with snopes on this one.
Fake - but inaccurate.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/abraham-lincolns-capitalism-prophecy/
rockrr: "I think Ill go with snopes on this one."
Thanks rockrr for the link, DL's quote is fake.
DiogenesLamp another alleged Lincoln quote: "These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert to fleece the people, and now that they have got into a quarrel with themselves, we are called upon to appropriate the peoples money to settle the quarrel."
speech to Illinois legislature, Jan. 1837."
One problem with this quote is that word "capitalists" allegedly used by Lincoln in 1837.
Well, Karl Marx is widely credited for inventing the term "capitalism", but in fact he never used it and he lived until 1883.
The first recorded uses begin in 1850 but they would not be widely known, and the word was not coined & introduced in its current sense until 1906.
See etymology of "capitalism" here, here and here.
It does seem the word "capitalist" preceded "capitalism", but its original meaning is unclear, likely only referred to wealthy people, which Lincoln in 1837 (age 28) was not.
So we can give Lincoln a lot of credit for prescience, but doubt if even he in 1837 could predict a word & meaning that was still over 50 years in the future!
By the way, I've long thought DiogenesLamp had a Marxist streak in him, but he denies that, so I'll settle for calling it his little "inner Democrat", who drives him to crazy ideas & talk.
But here note DiogenesLamp approvingly quoting the devil himself, Lincoln, when Lincoln is made to sound like DiogenesLamp's fellow Marxist, fake quote or no.