“A democracy cannot exist as a
permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it
can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority
always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the
democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be
followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy. “
This quote is sometimes attributed to de Tocqueville but I cannot find it. The
earliest known appearance of this quote was December 9, 1951, in what
appears to be an op-ed piece in The Daily Oklahoman under the
byline Elmer T. Peterson.