Talk:James Madison

Money Changers

Here's a little more context for the "money changers" quote. Dwinell's The Story of Our Money is apparently both the original source for the quote and where the confusion arose. On pages 70-71, there is a quote from Alexander Hamilton, followed by a note, then a couple more sentences:

“Among other material differences between a paper currency, issued by the mere authority of Government, and one issued by a bank, payable in coin (and that is not done), is this: That, in the first case (government issuance), there is no standard to which an appeal can be made, as to the quantity which will only satisfy, or which will surcharge the circulation: in the last (bank issuance of paper), that standard results from the demand.”

NOTE:—Weasel words; the demand does not refer to the demands of business and the peple but to the whims of private corporations. And that the government could have no standard of a nations currency needs is just so much bosh.
   Hamilton's whole monetary policy is based on unconstitutional grounds and unsound reasoning, and fraudulent statements. His policies were fought through the whole public career of Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Randolph and many another truly great lover of Repulican Government.
   His policies have proved to be more destructive of our independent and democratic form of government than the old subjugation of the Colonies by Great Britain. The deliberations in Congress over Hamilton's Bank Bill, and the opinions of members of The Cabinet show the intensity of feeling between the private money interests and those supporting the Constitution. History records that the “money changers” have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling the money and its issuance.

From Writings of Madison, previously quoted. Vol. 2, Page 14.

“The National Bank Bill was signed by President Washington Feb. 25th, 1791”

The note's language is clearly not 18th Century and it refers to Madison in the third person, so it is not a quote from Madison. The note can only be from Olive Cushing Dwinell. The reference to Writings of Madison is apparently just an editor's error since neither the words preceding or following are from that. The Writings of James Madison by Gaillard Hunt is available at the Internet Archive or on Google Books.

KHirsch 05:05, 24 December 2008 (UTC)

Authenticity?

It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man who knows what the law is today can guess what is will be tomorrow.” – James Madison, Federalist no. 62, February 27, 1788

If anybody can verify this quote, I think it deserves to be put in. 86.129.169.227 21:14, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

It is definitely in Federalist No. 62, with one correction. There is a hyphen in "to-morrow". Bracton 22:28, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

This is indeed from The Federalist, No. 62, at Part IV, Section 4 (a rather rambling section), paragraph 4. [1] "To-day" is also hyphenated, and the text includes three additional commas not shown above, at least in the linked 1886 edition of Henry Cabot Lodge, which takes pains to follow the text of the original publications rather than subsequent, amended versions.

Note, however, that the authorship of No. 62 is not entirely certain, and it may have been written by Alexander Hamilton. Attribution to Madison may be supported by textual analysis, but contemporaneous reports, including accounts by Madison and Hamilton themselves, are not consistent. (See, e.g., E. G. Bourne, "The Authorship of The Federalist", in The American Historical Review, Vol. 1, No. 3, April 1897, pp. 443–460.) ~ Ningauble 16:05, 23 December 2010 (UTC)

A possible false quote,

"Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government."

This is coming into increased usage, though no original primary source is ever cited, and the language is inconsistant with Madison's usual style of writing or speaking. Perhaps further research can place this under "Misattributed?"

I see that it's been circulating among "militia" groups since the mid-1990s, at least. It certainly seems bogus. I'll try to rule out the possibility that it's legitimate. —KHirsch 01:10, 24 September 2010 (UTC)

The comment about "militia groups" is inappropriate. We need to identify bias in ourselves and strive to keep it out of our editorial judgment. This quote has been accepted by many authoritative sources, although none of them seem to cite it, either. If it's bogus, it goes back a long way. Bracton 22:28, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

GoogleBooks reveals no mention of anything resembling this prior to the 1990s, whether attributed to Madison or otherwise. Notwithstanding the above unnamed "groups" and unspecified "authorities" (which cannot really be very authoritative if they don't cite sources), this is clearly bogus. It is so patently anachronistic that I don't think it even merits an entry under "Misattributed." Is it our job to rebut every implausible hoax? It is one thing to correct the errors of credible sources, but it is another thing altogether to confer notoriety upon purveyors of nonsense. ~ Ningauble 16:08, 23 December 2010 (UTC)

Attribution of ‎"The day will come when our Republic will be an impossibility because wealth will be concentrated in the hands of a few."

I have come across this quote, attributed to Madison, in several blogs, and would like to know if it is authentic.

The quote goes on to say: ‎"When that day comes, we must rely upon the wisdom of the best elements in the country to readjust the laws of the nation."

Thanks. Tclose 13:28, 8 October 2011 (UTC)

It doesn't appear to be an authentic quote. It isn't given in any of the collections of Madison's writings. The earliest I find it is from 1900, when Daniel De Leon is speaking at the convention of the Socialist Labor Party:

Will you tell me that James Madison did not understand the situation when he said in a magnificent little essay of his: "We are free to-day substantially, but the day will come when our Republic will be an impossibility. It will be an impossibility because wealth will be concentrated in the hands of a few. A republic cannot stand upon bayonets, and when that day comes, when the wealth of the nation will be in the hands of a few, then we must rely upon the wisdom of the best elements in the country to readjust the laws of the nation to the changed conditions."

I don't know that De Leon meant that as an exact quote. It appears that he was speaking extemporaneously, not from a prepared statement. The whole convention was "stenographically reported by B. F. Keinard."

Earlier, in 1889, De Leon had written an essay, The Voice of Madison, discussing what Madison had written about suffrage and property. De Leon's essay is a little vague, but I believe that he is talking about remarks that Madison made at the Federal Constitutional Convention and later elaborated upon in a series of notes. Madison is talking about whether the right to vote should be limited to landholders, a restriction he opposed.

There is some similarity in theme between the purported quote and Madison's discussion of suffrage. Madison does say that, as the population increased, the proportion of the population with property, especially farm land, will decrease. And he discusses the inherent conflict between the rights of those with property and those without. But I don't see anything about our republic being an impossibility.

De Leon's essay "The Voice of Madison" was reprinted, along with an essay about Karl Marx, in a small book in 1920, prefaced by the quote in question. De Leon had died in 1914, so he didn't have the chance to proofread this book, so is not responsible for it appearing there. As I said earlier, I'm not sure that he meant it to be taken as an exact quote.

I hope that helps.

—KHirsch 03:08, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

Yes, that helps a lot. Thanks for your excellent reply. Tclose 13:53, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

Additional Info: RE: "When that day comes, we must rely upon the wisdom of the best elements in the country to readjust the laws of the nation."

It was apparently published in an essay in the New York Post.

"The quote is included in the 1972 book entitled The Great Quotations: The Wit and Wisdom of the Ages. The book was written by George Seldes who spent thirty years researching the book for accuracy."

Source [2]]

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The purported quote looks more like it is De Leon giving his own quick summary of what Madison had to say in the essay which can be found here: http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch15s50.html Mackwa (talk) 01:43, 30 May 2012 (UTC)