I
V
4.
J
FAIR SHOW FOR ALL.
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTA
TION TRUE GOVERNMENT.
lUuie Who Have No Volt In regula
tion, VhoB Opiulonit Ara Neither
Heard Nor Heeded, Muot feel lUt oil
tttnt The Majority Suffer Alito.
I proportional representation is not
u.ade an issue iu our state and national
campaign next year, it certainly ought
to Le. Our present method of election
is the politicians' stronghold. Adopt
proportional representation and he is
routed; his power iB gone and the curse
of party spirit is destroyed. If ours is a
representative government, the people
who constitute it must be represented:
but they are not. If an expression of
choice couid be given irrespective of
party, more .than four-fifths of the
voter would declare for the free coin
age ot sliver at the ratio of 10 to 1, and
yet silver has been denied free coinage,
although both the 'old parties profess
to be friends of the while metal. It Is
the determined purpose of the govern
iiunt to maintain a gold standard.
Tue great body of the people desire
.uany reforms, but there is no way to
reach thorn by the present mefiiod of :
notti mating and electing candidates.
We call ours a popular representative
government. Every symbol or uuttior
l;.v Ih profewiedly "From the people, by
the people." urn every election results
in the interests of the politicians and
the people's interests are ignored and
disregarded, it Is party control and not
peoples control. This Is so obvious
that all but the purblind can see it.
Such a government is not a people's
government; it Is a government of the
people by the politicians, for the pluto
crats. Any man who favors it is a
partisan slave, and any one who tol
erates, or is indifferent to It, is un
worthy of beinfc an American citizen.
David Dudley Field, an able Jurist on
w 'hose opinion most people rely in judi
cial matters, presents the subject un
der consJideratloi: as follows:
"Suppose a firm of twenty-five part
ners. In a conflict of opinion thirteen
may rightfully control the twelve. Hut
at the beginning of the year, suppose it
were arranged that the parlies should,
be divided into five sections, five of the
partners in each. These sections would
correspond (o five districts in our po
litical partnership. Each section is
now to select one to compose a manag
ing committee of five. This committee
would correspond to our legislature.
"Now who does not see that each one
of this managing committee might be
chosen by three of the live partners in
the section, and thus the whole five of
the committee would repr:?ent only fif
teen members of the firm, ten, or two
in each section, having voted against
them. But this is not the end. Thin
committee of live representing only
t In ee-fifths of the firm are now to legis
late for the company, in this legisla
tive body of Ave, three would be a ma
jority, and they could dictate the whole
business.
"Finally, as the whole committee of
five r presented only Hi teen members, a
majority of said committee, or three,
would represent but three-fifths of lif
ted), or nine of the wiio'e twenty-five
members. Would anything but discon
t nt and dissension, before the end of
the tear, come of such an arrangement? j
What would happen in a private part- I
lieishif) upon so faulty a s;. stem, does
happen, and must Inevitably happen, i;;
a state where a like faulty system of
government is maintained.
"The government of a republican
country must represent the people or
the people will be dii-.s.'Ui-. lied. (Not if
they arc stip-tly pai t'.sai:s, ami accept j
the motto. 'To the victors belong the;
spoils.") Tlior.e wiio have no voice in I
legislation, whoie opinions are riot '
hen; d or h"cded, be restive under I
Miihorily; and it h; not the minority;
only who suffer: the majority suffer j
aliio from having no proper check, and j
when at la.-t the stale turns ret tili-don '
violent and dangerou. j
"if the iii.ti-nlavery minority could ,
have been heard by their rcpresciitu-.
lives, from the hi-giniiiiig. Increasing I
their representatives as (heir strength j
lie 'reused, rot only tin y, but the pro- j
slavery majority wool I have been b lie-1
lit'd, and who known but the emam I j
patloa of tiie hlii,-K might have 1 n i
procured tiiroush p aici'iil U-gihlutlon j
at a io-t ill ll'-i-oue. to nay nothing of-
he ci'St In blood, or I'-ii than ! f the
cpi odittire Of He- War." Paper :'d :
fl'tc ti.e Alii'illi :iu Miclal Nieiiio V.
. i .i i . i a i l.-ittrl! I :. I li a ; i' V m il
I n. i of ih iini i se! e i i ohm ii i n e ,
f -ii.:;, liwt liuii. lit elect ion 1 4 I hi
( .u e? t'lri ' ii tor vote, M.tti ,
X.l'.r'l .t'Ulll I"' e'l'l 'lp.ll f
fi 1 . . 1 1 lf I!:. HI ihiv.tl.lS, the t t
1 .i i t 'iii iu I"' i e "
; . n i, ', I lua i mil i ii
I I'm , lint la a ii J.lle i
ll " i I M ill
ii
ei I; ip.-ll.l--
.maiu-'t uac in
W .il i J ' liieil
i ii h I,- t.i
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't h in ir Vi' tit
1,1 'I 111 0'M UiH.tl
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it. t.
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ivm I i o' : tedt.t. it I
'.l't e-t inu r ise. ii I irk"
uf em i f n lin.ijt Mill
II b"' l O'l'll of I M u c
,iii i'..ii- i-im.ih in a m i,,,i
t jtf"l mil 1.1 t '(- k Ihe m.
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i li-l . . u .. I itn tl
(. i I ii.u t 111; .1
, '
ii f I ' ' I ,41, 'i( Ij
forty years wltncU any more tope ot
having a representative on this floor
than of having one In the commous of
Great Britain." Debate in Congress,
If the congressional lines in his state
had been erased, and proportional rep
resentation adopted there, 10,000 demo
crats would have been represented in
congress. They certainly had as much
right to representation as those voters
who elected Mr. Garfield.
If we view the facts as they exist, we
shall see that a fundamental priuciple
of popular government, that is, the gov
ernment shall derive its powers from
the concent of the governed, has been
nullified, defeated and set aside, and the
government virtually overthrown. In
consequence, this has been brought
about by a wrong use of the ballot, by
which the people's will has been thwart
ed, and the weapon for the defense of
their liberties has been turned upon
them to enslave them.
Is it not time to wake up to this mat
ter? We have been lured away by our
zeal for party, by the false promises ot
ambitious and designing politicians, by
false Issues when thler real purposes
have been concealed.
The sacred trust which has been be
queathed to us has not been guarded.
The liberty for which our fathers sacri
llced fco much of blood and treasure and
pledged their lives and fortunes to gain,
and transmitted to their children in all
confidence has not been preserved. With
the ballot in our hands we have every
means necessary to rr gain the lost
treasure and vindicate our honor as
American citizens. There is no alterna
tive but defeat or victory.--Industry,
Oakland, Calif.
WENDELL PHILLIPS' VOICE,
l.illier, the renter tit Wealth, Kill II led
In All It I-!).
The man who, with his hands, digs
clams out of the seashore or, climbing
a tree, gathers applet, or one who fash
ions a hoe out of bard wood, is a pure,
simple laborer, and is entitled to what
be gets or makes. The man who makes
such a hoe one day, and working with it
the next day, digs twice us many clams
as when he used his hands alone, is
capitalist and laborer united. He
works a tool, which Is capital, the re
anil of past labor. He too is an honest
laborer, and untitled to all he gets. A
man who works a week arid makes ten
such hoes, then joins nine less skilled
men with himself, and they, the ten,
share fairly the product of his hoes
and their toil, Introduces co-operation
and a Just civilization; a system which
seems to bold within itself every possi
ble safeguanUagainst misuse and to be
full of the seeds of all good results.
The man who, having made such a hoe,
lets it to another less skilled man to
dig t lams, receiving an equivalent for
its use, is a capitalist. Such a system
has no inherent, essential Injustice In
It. and, if It can be properly arranged
and guarded, serves civilization. The
difficulty is to guard It from degenerat
ing into despotism and fraud. The
man who, getting possession of a thou
sand such hoes, sits with idle hands,
and no mental effort but selfish cun
ning, and arranges a cunning network
of laws and corporations, banks and
currency, Interest and "corners" to get
seven out of every ten clams that are
dug. Is a drone. We mean by an honest
system to-starve him out and compel
him to work. The man who sits in
Wall street, and by means of bank
ere lit, buys up all last year's claims to
raLjo the price -who, taking fifty thou
sand honestly earned dollars, makes a
'Clam Digging Company" bribes
newspapers to lie about It creates ten
banks and locks up gold, or arranges a
corner to depress Its stocks -then buys
up every share, makes ten more banks
and floods the land with paper and sells
out, retiring after a week of such labor
Willi a fortune, is a thief. Such thieves
of tiie past we propose to leave undis
turbed. Our plan is to make such
thieves iii) possible In the fulure.
WKNDKLL PHIU.1PS.
TWO HUNDRED MILLIONS.
Nut l-jiiiiiKh Until I'riMliiifil Anniialli In
I'.u Our liileriHt In l:ni: Idol.
"In his estimate of a IL'.iO.iMiit.OOO gold
output five )e.iis lieiice the director of
the mint Is not v e binary. This year's
yield will probably rea it nearly f Jttu.
i)ti,i)'Mi, and the recent gains have not
been far from 1211.11011.(1011 a nr. It
will be hard after this to get up a scare
about 'contraction' ia the gold supply.
The 'ncr.inibli.'' for gold among the na
tions will not bo iliopi rate enough to
iau-e palilet liei-enf i-t." ( Uolie-ItMino-cl
III.
II Vim; t!ie uralul.le for gold anniilK
the 11 (tiollS lll Hlo;i Mhetl tile llitliell-
11,1 i'oiiii ii. Tin !na-ai i iii.iliiui! of
lioi'l pt nil ii. i d I fii. i' ti' i!l m. 1 pe
iiltiiiii'li! til pa", t 10 iitiillai iil.tiiiat In-
( ..,-. 1 i.ii. i'.' i t i;tili!i h Mini lni. .:,,
aii'l (iiil. iimiii , ,.
V. i l' ill" (.'1 1" i'i'ii uf ; ii'l
'Cd in In iomi'iv lni. Ihi
lt-pie i nw fa pn lt(tii 1 mi ; 1 mil' -line
mo .at.. t ii.- 4a T1.11 lioiluli'ii
11, i'U-. 11 ii. ll.iii. 11 ii I i.i,i, p.ii i I 1 l
iioi 1 If lh iii'i'int fn. n ie . a, ,:
nl-.e p.) 1 I'll I. al'.t i It. liit n ) tan
!( tM" tu-lllf' Hull' l Mill ll'.it till
I l v ill a U t Ui Uliie'- i 11' p' : I '.
ell all ! ' iiil'l . ".I I'i i ' ' i'i ! til 4
, - J iif I : l I .11 t
t iie prill I: ...',.. t
11,1, pit iii,' 1 h put Hi- n t.,. .
ntl I'll! lit i 1 I'm,' I : II, , t 1 ,
1 1 li'lh I; .1 I .il I mil ,!nii . t Mi.'k - l.i,;
1, i 't(it l lull Si - H l' In ihi ni in 1
if ml It of I ! li I I mt I
it ll,.. It t. 1,,,., Il ., n J ' t f , 1 1,. 4
III . '.' (1 .
j ., I 1 l II. .I'' ' Jl i 1 Mot .'
. ' M I I ' I "II' f II 11". '.II'.
,.f .t . il,. I"H 1 1 t(ti. '.a I' I
. ' , : 1 I'i 'li' 4 It- " !
,ffJ
"-l a. ...
I'.lMV 1 I
Western Hanker. The decline In the
price of silver, wheat and other pro
ducts since 1873 has been followed by
a decline In the value of the securities
(farms generally) on which we have
COM KS FROM TI I K FA 1131
MORE INTECRITY AMONG TILL
ERS OF THE SOIL,
Agriculture In lite B.mU ot i:mr) t hliij
Ami to I.e(;lUt Agaiutt tlia
t'armtir I to WruUen I lie 1 ininJallon
of Cot irn un lit mill Society.
Itev. Dr. Hawthorne, of Atlanta,
preached a sermon to the Natloaal
Farmers' Congress during its Minion In
that city.
"Text, Philllpians il-vl 5: 'Look not
every man on his own filings, but every
man also on the things of others. Lot
this mind be in you which was also la
Christ Jesus.'
"Agriculture is ,ana ever will be, the
basis of all other material interests.
To foster this industry is to befriend
every other Industry, and to cripple it
is to impair every activity which con
tributes to the welfare of the people.
The race could possibly live without
manufacturers, merchants, or dentists,
or physicians, or lawyers, or even with
out politicians, but without the farmer
it would soon become extinct. The ab
solute onsen tf at thing for every human
being is bread, and the production of
that is the vocation of the farmer. To
legislate ogainxt. him Ik
TO WEAKUN TUG VHRY FOUNDA
TION of every lawful and useful Industry.
"Nine-tenths of the men who have
risen to enviable distinction were born
and reared outside of the cities. The
majority of them were born in farm
bonnes and had some actual experience
in cultivating the soil. Look Into the
catalogues of our American colleges
and you will find nine-tenths of the
medalists and lirst honor graduates
were from the country and country vil
lages. Without the new b'.ood that Is
constantly coming in from the country
In less than fifty years the titles would
be
INTICLLKCTI ALLY IMPOVER
ISHED. Wiihout a constant infusion of men
and women from country churches re
ligion would degenerate Into the dead
est formalism. Let agriculture flourish,
country school hounes multiply and
country churches continue to be true to
the faith nnd worship of our country
fathers and mothers and our
NATION W ILL HE SATE. PROSPER
OUS AND HAPPY.
"In selecting a subject for this occa
h in n I could think of none that would
be more helpful to tut than the one pre
sented in the text 'An imaltlsli and
ef denv lug concern for the welfare of
our fi'l.ovt -la.di, the only solvent of our
xocial pi olili iii-.'
"Soclc'y will um-r ret ill of IN
iL.tiord and ttlrif'' and iiii.t iiioti a
career oi" aid lit: pe.ue an-l prosperity
on'il II ii pi iitn aieil by the upliit mi I
t OKli(l!ie, I ) ilii pi llietple CXfl't iH.'i In
tlil.t pa-.i e At i iiioi'!'i!itlli and na
tloiiii liti.'! at is fioii. die jrc.it l i
of la Hi .j U 'lie whh ti Clirl.it til'iKtlt Hud
l!!iMti'.i'..l In till II- .-itii! aii. I did ant
i iuf.reil, '(n i;' tit-prut i' y im-rej an. I
tl.i'ir ', i.ii i on i 1 i ui , ,, !.ii!it-
Il ' If1; v ! ll i'! Out culitn.
trtii' lb'- II nt llill.l . ii?i! l.!,l . In
lliiH.lt .'llllill on IH-- !utll)t lll tt
t ut llii of j
Mil Hist; i;i t stN'ut. t; if. !
U t- , t. !('' mui.t i,: ti i'i autj
'till' 1,1 l ' 4t I I II I lie ii,r I
lie t i j-' I t thr l.i i ,,! u. pft j
til rli:; ttl ti l. wo; loir', ti-ii Kit'e.I
I I ...Il t t HIl I Mll.,.i ( , th, i. t 4
pt t l.'t I "t lV' ii.tt-. ,, a-- rpl ,.itl
t ok. r I- l.ii.i- t it'i, I I r i 'ti I c 1 14
A i In I tti j 4i u l . r .1 4 1 ji t J ft O 4 ltt
. .U.M..itii I -Ih t f'!.t If il t l. pi -I. I r I j
1- t t if in t nl.'t tt'4 f.-t ' ! !.( !
t'-t !. t-l ii'l I. tie tl JMt'.c!' ttll'l
i. k p.
, it .
- tl
-t,tl
- til
, f 1 .
-I t ' 1 1 V ii f i I
'.il I 'i .1 t I h-i t
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i ti
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1 ...I-
A NEW ACQUISITION.
.Trorn National Biatetalllst.)
.-ATtjE. Or
-rr
REAL!HA,t
1873
$1000000
SAME
1880
PROPERTY
1850.000
SAME
1390
PROPERTY
H25.0O0
SAME
1895
PROPERTY
$600000
loaned millions. The property worth
Jl.OOO.OOt) In 1873 has gradually declined
with silver until It in now worth only
f 000,000. The only way to restore the
valtro of property and prices of product
Justice. There Is nothing that needs
saving so much as a civilization that is
guided by no great ethical principle,
and that marches on without any re
gard for (lod and hrs righteousness.
The country that boasts of such a civili
zation is on the high road to anarchy,
nihilism and barbarism,
"Civilization is not a cause, but an
effect. It is the product of human char
acter. It expresses the good and evil
in the hearts of the people who sup
port it. Any government is Just what
the people make it. If a state or muni
cipal government legalizes or tolerates
Bitch an Iniquity as a bull fight or a
gambling house, or a bar room, or an
Indecent theatrical exhibition, It is be
cause the
PEOPLE ARE DEPRAVED ENOUGH
to desire It.
"The fountain of any civilization Is
In the character of the people. If the
civilization is corrupt, it Is because
corruption reigns in the hearts of the
people. This being true, civilization
can be cleansed only by cleansing the
people.
"As long as the people have but little
moral sensibility and u feeble apprecia
tion of the distinctions which Mod
makes between right and wrong, there
will be
CLASS LEGISLATION, DESPOTIC
MONOPOLIES,
political rings, bribery and ballot-box
stttlllng. A righteous civilization can
be secured and maintained only by a
people who love and practice righteous
ness. We are like those foolish Gala
tlans, whom Paul describes as 'be
witched.' We have been 'bewitched'
by false teachers.
"What, then, Is our hope? How can
society be redeemed? How can our
civilization be transformed? How can
the state be so reconstructed as to fur
nish adequate protection to Its subjects
and to all of their legitimate Interests?
Our answer to each of these questions
is: 'Hy substituting for the law of self
interest which now dominates our so
cial life the law of love-the law of
self-sacrifice tin- law which Christ il
lustrated when he became poor that we,
through His poverty, might be rich
the law which makes each man
HIS BROTHER'S KKEPER
and requires us to bear ono another's
burdens.
"Is it your purpose to be useful to
your fellow men? If that Is not your
purpose, and your supremo purpose,
you have no claim upon the renpect of
mankind. If you intend to be a disci
ple of Cain arid repudiate all obliga
tion to care for your brother man, you
doerve to lie treated as Cain was -BRANDED
AS AN OUTLAW.
If you will not be your brother's keeper
nnd I ttr len-b"arer, you are hU enemy.
You Mill m-lze every opportunity to de
fraud, opprt s Mi l ilt xra'li' hliu. 1 lot
spilt that toiitroiti you will ni.i!, yn'l
A .MONOlMLISTim V ti AM Itl.KIC.
or u b.nu iolciei, or tin .tiiaic!ii-l. m ;t
it . r t -i
" But if J'iit pern i e It to In- -i-' fiil -in'fui
icr oi .t in i.n,!,..;f an, I toiir
f.u.iili , !.o- in I',,, v lo.l.t tk. n i l your
I. " inn a lie a .. i, n;i, ( ti Hi.. nn piin;
l.juk oi:! nti-i 1'ie eie o- and ee
ii;al.e f., t .nan i,i I' ,n taut n u it
,"" -I (' ' I tun- t.;i!i4 itii.n in i. l,i
h.'U a' (.11 i.' li,.. ). t(i" ,-ill,i'
.till tv;i . ii',i t . ...-( i . ,,( ) t
hi I ki tiei itloii a.-. o Liu o Hi" i'i of
" I mi I Milk" an eii t i i,K , c'titi
i I'i
I to: u t:i i v'i.; tir j nt: li rj;,
1 if k- .i'i ..M;n - ut j our
I - c.i I of inm,. n
i.i ii ii.. o j,, ., i h , ,
t 1 .ii.l I i te I '.it .U, , ),. u i,,
let
'
" i " II'- 1.1 I ini;. nil I ' r , , .or,
ti II, t 1, ; j, i , ,'..,(, ii j, Kri4
II 'ill Ii'l . glut S'llil ,, I I
tit'l lt'l ill I ( tit " t li I , (,,..!
I'"' "' '" VS e n ,.(.t . I ni ,i
p .' i ;. t ..' .a t tit r. i o
i t mm i urn j'f t tfi.-n .
tl ! 1 t I I t I
I ' ' ' "I,.., (,.. I , . f,
" ' - - 'i ' - - -it .1 ', ..i t in tl
1
FARM PROV"
,A7.. mmoo
IW
1880
5.1.000
HO
1890
9850
1895
600
is to again open the mints to free coin
age of gold and silver as It existed prior
to 1873. Western bankers can no long
er afford to bolster up this pio-Urltlsh
policy In this country.
and plant it on the foundation of the
golden rule of tho gospel will require
heroic courage, great sacrifice and martyr-like
endurance on the part of men
In every calling. In putting your busi
ness on tho basis of the golden rule
you would
SUFFER GREAT LOSSES
for a time. Yon could scarcely compete
with men of selfish and fraudulent
methods. Bankruptcy might overtake
you. But in making the sacrlflco you
would have the fellowship of Christ.
You would munlfest His spirit, magnify
His truth and grace, and extend the
conquests of His kingdom. This would
compensate you a thousand times for
your material losses.
"I am confident that among the men
who till the soil of this country there is
MORE INCORRUPTIBLE INTEG
RITY than can be found in any other element
of our population. For more than two
thirds of a century agriculturalists
dominated the government and social
life of this nation, it is now dominated
by monopolists, money lenders and
speculators. We need not to be told
that the change has been
PROLIFIC OF ANYTHING BUT
GOOD,
either to the material or moral interest
of the masses of our people. It requires
no prophetic gift to see that a return
of the agricultural clauses to power
would result in a revival of that vir
tuous simplicity and uncompromising
Integrity which characterized the
American people in the
BETTER DAYS OF THE REPUBLIC.
"Gentlemen of the Farmers' NatlonaV
Congress, If you are lighting for the en
thronement of truth, purity, fair deal
ing and Christ-like charity in the gov
ernment and p.ocial life of your country,
and are determined to be loyal to your
convictions, even to the last extremity,
you are knights of a nobler chivalry
than ever
UNFURLED A FLAG OR UN
SHEATHED A SWORD
on any of the world's hlatorle battle
fields, and lor euch of you invisible
lingers are weaving ail Imperishable
ehaplet."
Oilier Hint Ilia KallroniU.
Olney. the railroad and trust attor
ney, whose salary in these positions ex
ceeds his salary as attorney general In
the president's cabinet, has permitted
the Central Pat-Hie railroad to turn i
large port Inn of Its $ii,iiiii),niio of a sink
ing fund to the payment of Interest, in
violation of the Thurmaii uct, which
authorized the formation of a sinking
fund to be ".1 per cent of the net earn
ings of the road -this kuiii to be eov
ered In the United Stales trea-;nry for
the liquidation of the principal of the
railroad's debt, the bond titdcil roadd
luting ileil;e I tlietll) elves to pay lh
Interttt upon to tlelit tn the govern
till lit Oillrlilii of t'lii: fillld. It Will li
repii-miii-ted that Heaau.r 1 Iiuniian's el
fort t: behalf of the p-ople. iH against
the I .lite. I'I killed llllll politically, lil.J
fll ie.lt i d h'-ll I'I till- people. Till III
fH'IM'it tntd of liu-la Mill 1 li ,i'l. J I Ml .'H
wanted la M.it- off 1,0 1 i-niiin ni pro
1 1 f.ii'u ' if li 1 the iilheali tiiililj
tiiiiiii' I lute In . 11 I (inula ui.it) t Jt.li
ii 'l all I wf.ii Ii I'i.uhi li.tte tiiM-ii li. i;iii
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A VOICE OF WARNING.
AN ENGLISH WRITER MAKES
SOME OBSERVATIONS.
A nil Clilt-f itutic ltrown Hf ttotl
llrllH-rjr mill t'orriiptlon Ar 80 Ju-ei-Hl
to Tlirntttttii the Very Structur
of Soi-tety.
Wealth Makers: "I have v.atched the
rapid evolution of social iTemocracy
in England; I have studied autocracy
in Russia and theocracy In Rome; and
I must say that nowhere, not even ini
Russia, in the flrst year of the reaction
occasioned by the murder of the czar,
have I struck more abject submission
to a more soulless despotism than that
which prevails among the so-called
free American citizens when they are
face to face with the omnipotent power
of the corporations."
These are the words of an English
writer who has recently made a study
of our municipal Institutions. And As
sociate Justice Brown of the United
.States Supreme Court, commenting on
(he above, says:
"Granting this to bo overdrawn for
I am unwilling to believe that corpora
tion! are solely responsible for munici
pal mlsgovernnient tho fact remains
that bribery and corruption are so gen
eral as to threaten the very structure
of society."
Justice Brown In Ills article in tha
August Fotum, from which the ahovu
extracts are taken, says, by way of ex
planation of municipal corruption,
that:
"The activities of urban life are bo
Intense, tho pursuit of wealth or
pleasure so absorbing, as upon the ono
hand to breed an indifference to pub
lic affairs; while upon the other, the
expenditures are f,o large, the value
of the franchises at the disposal of the
cities so great, and tho opportunity
for Illicit gain so manifold, that the mu
nicipal legislators, whose standard of
honesty Is rarely higher than the av
erage of those who elect them, fall an
easy prey to the designing and unscru
pulous. Franchises which ought to net;
the treasury a large sum are bartered!
away far a song; privileges which
ought to be freely granted in the In
terest of the public are withheld till
those who are supposed to be most
immediately benefited will consent to
pay for them; gross favoritism 1
shown in the assessment of property
for taxation; great corporations are
permitted to encumber the streets ami
endanger the Jives of citizens, while
every form of vlco which can be made
Is secretly tolerated." ;
Speaking of corporations in general.
Justice Brown referred to the fact that
"they have a practical monopoly of
land transportation, of mining, manu
facturing, banking, and insurance."
"The ease with which charters are se
cured has produced great abuses." Th
advantage they offer of limited liabil
ity leads men to Incorporate in order to
avoid paying their obligations, to crush
out rivals; charters are secured in one
state to do business in another or oth
ers, so as to bring litigation Into Fed
eral courts. The eminent writer de
scribes the gross frauds of railroad con
struction companies and the "wreck
ing" process, and the vast profit, or
rather plunder, thus got under cover of
law. j
Speaking of the trusts he said: !,
"Worse than this, however, Is the
combination of corporations in so-called
trusts to limit production, stifle compe
tition, and monopolize the necessities
of life. The extent to which this has
already been carried is alarming, ths
extent to which It may hereafter be
carried is revolutionary. Indeed, the
evils of aggregated wealth are nowhere
seen In more odious form. If no stu
dent can light his lamp without paying
tribute to one company, If no hotme
keepcr can buy a pound of meat or
sugar without swelling the receipts of
two or three trusts, what Is to prevent
the entire productive Industry of the
country becoming ultimately absorbed
by a hundred glgantie corporations? If
a railway company originally organized
to build lOu miles of road has by fifty
years of consolidation and leases be
come the undisputed master of 10,OOC
miles of transportation, what is to pre
vent It in another fifty yenrs from mo
nopolizing half the traftlc of a conti
nent?" When a man sitting on the suprema
M-ndi of the United Sttiten thus writes
the people should be aroused to act.
Ik-lays 111 e dangerous. But what cau
be done vtlrh the great corporations,
inotiopolii h 11111I trusts? The piocetis of
coiiMiliil.tiioti and the development of
1I1.. initi h 11 lorwurd itiovemi-nt in tho
lint of labor pat inn, of economic erv-in-,
It taiiimi be i lift I.i-d, but inouopo
l,i' flioiiM be fii.teil to pay tribute, ia
Itie i;ni iiiai lit, unit tlu-y tdtoiild lei
l.t,utit ii) by it'" I'M w 1 i.nn'iit as fail
n In i ui;iili ' 1 i.t oiiiU.tioii and tiiu'ti
in u iiil' I'ltih tin v ili ftttav CUilipt'iitioH.
S rapidly me iitoti'ip-iHe itbtrtiuf;
lae a. i h alul 1 -u'll 1 1 of the pt,i(il
id Ki t pi! ,; all putter ttiat prolniit
.(1 ra.t'ia! tie-.ts.ill t-i .lie our Hilly nal-
v.iiiuii lie li.iup -r nt pretrnt I that
,.e!.-e."!,' Ui tciltiu! .f piittlllll pal lift
a 1(1 I ' p 1 t t l tn'li 1 1." pnipU In
tl. 0.1. it 1. ll.e In.; 1 en I (' lltl j.llil
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tii! (ei! ' t
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