This book is dedicated to the unhappy many who have lived and died lacking opportunity, because, in the starting, the world-wide social structure was wrongly begun.
Wealth had grown so strong, that the few were about to strangle the many, and among the great masses of the people, there was sullen and rebellious discontent.
He saw many of the civil institutions of his country debased by the power of wealth under the thin guise of the constitutional protection of property. He saw the Army which he had sworn to serve faithfully becoming prostituted by this same power, and used at times for purposes of intimidation and petty conquests where the interests of wealth were at stake.
Gloria, we are entering a new era. The past is no longer to be a guide to the future.
For him the door of opportunity was closed, and he struggled from the cradle to the grave for the minimum of food and clothing necessary to keep breath within the body. His labor and his very life itself was subject to the greed, the passion and the caprice of his over-lord.
Unfortunately for him, there was not one of the governing class who was big enough and humane enough to lend a guiding and a friendly hand, so he was led by weak, and selfish men who could only incite him to further wanton murder and demolition.
Nowhere in the world is wealth more defiant, and monopoly more insistent than in this mighty republic
He has been schooled to think that capital can buy labor as it would machinery, the human equation not entering into it. He believes that it would be equivalent to confiscation for the State to say ’in regard to a corporation, labor, the State and capital are important in the order named.’
Other than some mildly archaic language, this could be straight out of DKos or HuffPo.
Now this is interesting.
Did anybody else happen to notice that chapter 39 in this book is titled “negative government”?
Haven’t we heard that sentiment from Obama?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkpdNtTgQNM
Right there. The constitution is a charter of negative liberties. That’s what he said.
Philip Obama? Barack Hussein Dru?