I go on the principle that a public debt is a public curse and in a republican government more than in any other.
James MadisonRead
I consider it…as subverting the fundamental and characteristic principle of the Government…and as bidding defiance to the sense in which the Constitution is known to have been proposed, advocated, and adopted. If Congress can do whatever in their discretion can be done by money, and will promote the General Welfare, the Government is no longer a limited one.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Madison warns against the potential for Congress to overstep its limitations, leading to an unrestrained government.
In this quote, James Madison expresses concern that if Congress is allowed to interpret its powers broadly—specifically by claiming that any financial action that promotes general welfare is permissible—then the government would cease to be a limited entity as prescribed by the Constitution. This perspective highlights the importance of adhering strictly to constitutional limitations to prevent governmental overreach and ensure that power remains constrained.
Themes
MadisonGovernmentConstitutionLimitsPower
In practice
Example use cases
In a political debate about governmental authority, you might use this quote to emphasize the risks of a limitless government.
More from James Madison
All quotes →No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause; because his interest would certainly bias his judgment, and, not improbably, corrupt his integrity. With equal, nay with greater reason, a body of men are unfit to be both judges and parties at the same time.
James MadisonRead
I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations; but, on a candid examination of history, we shall find that turbulence, violence, and abuse of power, by the majority trampling on the rights of the minority, have produced factions and commotions, which, in republics, have, more frequently than any other cause, produced despotism.
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The advice nearest to my heart and deepest in my convictions is that the Union of the States be cherished and perpetuated.
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Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.
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The magnitude of this evil among us is so deeply felt, and so universally acknowledged, that no merit could be greater than that of devising a satisfactory remedy for it.
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