The people have arrived at that degree of understanding of their actual interests, that will not admit of a blind acquiescence in all that even a “People’s Congress” may do.
Victoria C. Woodhull
The Public Record
Victoria Claflin Woodhull, later Victoria Woodhull Martin, was an American leader of the women's suffrage movement who ran for president of the United States in the 1872 election. While many historians and authors agree that Woodhull was the first woman to run for the presidency, some disagree with classifying it as a true candidacy because according to the Constitution she would have been too young to be president if elected.
gutenberg.org
How has it been possible thus long for leaders to control the masses, except that the masses have permitted others to act for them, and that without rendering any account for such action?
If bereft of the capacity to influence the masses who heretofore have not thought for themselves, they know their power will depart.
Well may the political parties view with alarm the beginning of organization among the classes they have until now relied upon to carry themselves into power.
Capital is putting forth some strong efforts to confine science in its interests, but the teachings of science are of too general and cosmopolitan a character to permit its professors to ally themselves with a pseudo aristocracy—the…
For this end they must bring science—the science of sociology—to their aid, and make its professors active leaders and trusted assistants in the grand work.
The agitation that is beginning to be felt all over the world where intelligent labor exists, indicates that the time is at hand wherein the first steps toward a constructive organization of society, upon scientific principles, is to be…
The organization of society must be realized through the science of sociology, which, of all sciences is the least understood by the general mind.
A permanent basis of organization can only be discovered by scientific investigation.
Harmony of all the interests of humanity can alone be attained through organization.
It is the mean between the extremes—the calling up from those below, and the leveling down of those above the mean—in which the harmony of all is found.
Either extreme in material interests appears to be deleterious to the best and most harmonious general advancement of all the other interests.