Rutherford B. Hayes

The real difficulty is with the vast wealth and power in the hands of the few and the unscrupulous who represent or control capital. Hundreds of laws of Congress and the state legislatures are in the interest of these men and against the interests of workingmen. These need to be exposed and repealed. All laws on corporations, on taxation, on trusts, wills, descent, and the like, need examination and extensive change. This is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people no longer. It is a government of corporations, by corporations, and for corporations.

The progress of society is mainly the improvement in the condition of the workingmen of the world.

Unjust attacks on public men do them more good than unmerited praise.

Universal suffrage should rest upon universal education. To this end, liberal and permanent provision should be made for the support of free schools by the State governments, and, if need be, supplemented by legitimate aid from national authority.

Law without education is a dead letter. With education the needed law follows without effort and, of course, with power to execute itself; indeed, it seems to execute itself.

It is the desire of the good people of the whole country that sectionalism as a factor in our politics should disappear.

No person connected with me by blood or marriage will be appointed to office.

The filth and noise of the crowded streets soon destroy the elasticity of health which belongs to the country boy.

Conscience is the authentic voice of God to you.

The President of the United States should strive to be always mindful of the fact that he serves his party best who serves his country best.

Do not let your bachelor ways crystallize so that you can't soften them when you come to have a wife and a family of your own.

The independence of all political and other bother is a happiness.

Wars will remain while human nature remains. I believe in my soul in cooperation, in arbitration; but the soldier's occupation we cannot say is gone until human nature is gone.

The bold enterprises are the successful ones. Take counsel of hopes rather than of fears to win in this business.