Frank Murphy · Vinony

Frank Murphy · Vinony

Quotes

“[T]he people have a right to insist, through their democratic institutions, that the owners of the nation's economic resources and machinery use them in a socially desirable way. From that there is no escape. Adopt the other philosophy and you leave the non-owners of property- those who depend on the property of others for a living- you leave them outside the economic system. Those who adopt that philosophy will have to accept the consequences.”
“It is one thing to believe in civil liberty and another thing to practice it in all the daily relationships of man to man. And I am afraid the facts are that some of us have been for civil liberty in theory but not very careful about practicing it in our daily lives.”
“We recall that America itself came into being at the hands of harried and homeless people, searching for the blessings of pence and freedom. Remembering their great struggle, we sympathize the more with this effort of yours to create in Palestine a haven of refuge and a center of culture where your kith and kin, free from oppression and persecution, can find life and peace in the land of their forefathers.”
“Men and women every where are haunted by a feeling of insecurity, of helplessness to protect the things they cherish most. And yet, while their present state is so unhappy, they also have a fear of change, and of the unforeseeable and unknowable consoquences of change. They fear that change, instead of bringing them grenter security, will take away the things they want most to keep.”
“Common sense and justice dictate that a citizen accused of a crime should have the fullest hearing possible, plus the opportunity to present every reasonable defense. Only an unenlightened jurisprudence condemns an individual without according him those rights. Such a denial is especially oppressive where a full hearing might disclose that the administrative action underlying the prosecution is the product of excess wartime emotions.”
“Experience demonstrates that in time of war individual liberties cannot always be entrusted safely to uncontrolled administrative discretion. Illustrative of this proposition is the remark attributed to one of the members of petitioner's local board to the effect that "I do not have any damned use for Jehovah's Witnesses." The presumption against foreclosing the defense of illegal and arbitrary administrative action is therefore strong.”

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