Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my hand and
heart to this vote.

Sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I give my hand and
heart to this vote.

I always voted at my party's call,
And I never thought of thinking of myself at all.

I always voted at my party's call,
And I never thought of thinking of myself at all.

Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of read more

Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).

Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than
Christianity has made them good.

Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than
Christianity has made them good.

Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.

Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.

I hope that no American . . . will waste his franchise and throw
away his vote by voting read more

I hope that no American . . . will waste his franchise and throw
away his vote by voting either for me or against me solely on
account of my religious affiliation. It is not relevant.

Anything important is never left to the vote of the people. We only get to vote on some man; we read more

Anything important is never left to the vote of the people. We only get to vote on some man; we never get to vote on what he is to do.

Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to read more

Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right

Slavery is but half abolished, emancipation is but half
completed, while millions of freeman with votes in their hands read more

Slavery is but half abolished, emancipation is but half
completed, while millions of freeman with votes in their hands
are left without education.