Political Quotes

Lysander Spooner: “Or, rather, this ninth amendment, the most important of all, seems to have been so utterly antagonistic to all his ideas…”

On the record
Or, rather, this ninth amendment, the most important of all, seems to have been so utterly antagonistic to all his ideas of government, that he chose to ignore it altogether, and, as far as he could, to bury it out of sight.
Said by
Lysander Spooner

Editor's note · Context

He critiques Chief Justice Marshall for ignoring the ninth amendment, which he believes is crucial for government accountability.

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When they have once taken our money, they have the decency to get out of our sight as soon as possible; they do not persist in following us, and robbing us, again and again, so long as we produce anything that they can take from us.

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They acknowledge it to be our unquestioned right and duty to kill them, if we can; that they expect nothing else, than that we will kill them, if we can; and that we are only fools and cowards, if we do not kill them, by any and every…

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On the contrary, they acknowledge themselves robbers, murderers, and villains, pure and simple.

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They do not tell us that all liberty and order would be destroyed, that society itself would go to pieces, and man go back to barbarism, if it were not for the care, and supervision, and protection, they lavish upon us.

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