John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
5493 John Caldwell Calhoun 1782-1850 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 5493 |
| AUTHOR: | John Caldwell Calhoun (1782–1850) |
| QUOTATION: | A power has risen up in the government greater than the people themselves, consisting of many and various and powerful interests, combined into one mass, and held together by the cohesive power of the vast surplus in the banks. 1 |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Speech, May 27, 1836. |
| Note 1. From this comes the phrase, “Cohesive power of public plunder.” [back] |