On the record
And this is equivalent to denying all men's right to make their own contracts, or to acquire any contract rights, which congress may not afterward, at pleasure, alter, or abolish.
Said by
Lysander Spooner
Source
gutenberg.orgLysander Spooner: “And this is equivalent to denying all men's right to make their own contracts, or to acquire any contract rights, which…”
Editor's note · Context
Spooner emphasizes that allowing Congress to alter contracts undermines individual rights to contract.
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More from Lysander Spooner
They do not tell us that they have established infallible supreme courts, to whom they refer all questions as to the legality of their acts, and that they do nothing that is not sanctioned by these courts.
They do not tell us of the almshouses, hospitals, schools, churches, etc., which, out of the purest charity and benevolence, they maintain for our benefit, out of the money they take from us.
They do not attempt to deceive us, or mislead us, or reconcile us to their doings, by any such pretences, impostures, or insults as these.
For all these reasons, they are not only modest and sensible, but really frank, honest, and honorable villains, contrasted with these courts of injustice, and the lawmakers by whom these courts are established.