Teddy Roosevelt on Corporate Campaign$
on Sunday, November 30, 2014Theodore Roosevelt proposing elimination of corporate political campaign funding with the Tilman Act of 1907. Theodore Roosevelt said:
“Let individuals contribute as they desire: but let us prohibit in effective fashion all corporations from making contributions for any political purpose, directly or indirectly” — Theodore Roosevelt
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In this quote, Theodore Roosevelt is advocating for restrictions on political donations by corporations. The best interpretation is that Roosevelt felt corporations, as entities separate from individuals, should not be able to indirectly influence elections and policymaking through financial contributions.
He wanted donations from corporations to be “prohibited in effective fashion” for any political aims. Roosevelt believed individuals should be free to donate as they choose, but that corporations should have limits on using money to sway the political process, possibly because of concerns about undue corporate influence over government.
The overall message is that Roosevelt saw a need to separate corporate money from politics through effective donation restrictions and prohibitions.