Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1841-12-02


ring, trading, loanins, building, and trans
portatinn, to say nothing Of the almost
lnnumerabie railroad, canal, ard turn
pike com, anies, and literary, scientific,
benevolent. and miscellaneous associa-
tons, with chartered privileges. The
creating of corporations, both large and
small. and granting of exclusive priviieg-
es to corporate bodies, has been perfect
mania with our people, one that is not
confined to any particular party, but
found pervading them all.
At one period Of our local history the
granting of acts of incorporation belong
ed exclusively to the State Legislature,
but the growing clamor Of the people for
community Of action under corporate
privileges, soon gave rise to so many APP
plications for Incorporation. THAT the or
binary business Of the sessions was re-
tatded thereby. It was found necessa-
Try. therefore. to lodge a portion Of this
rapidly increasing burden elsewhere,
which resulted 10 investing the Supreme
Court ofeach juslieial district with an ap-
(pellate power to grant acts Of laeoFpofa-
ton. This was done by tie Legislature
Iof 1891, and the Supremr tGutt has con-
tirued to exercise such Jurisdiction ever
since. Bv act Of Assembly OF 18th Soc
tober, 1910. the above power gran 9 to
The Supreme Court, was extended to the
Court of Common Pleas Of each coun-
ty, who may now allow to all persons de-
sirous to acquire and cnjay the powers
| and immunities OF a corporations, Tor a
ny literary. charitable. or religious pur-
poses, or for the purpose OF forming any
Are company, or beneficial society, the
necessary act Of Incorporation. Thus
readily may corporate powers and privl-
eges be obtained in Pennsylvania,
Properly restricted Corporations are
| no doubt beneficial to community where
they exist in moderation. aud are con-
fined TO the accomplishing of enterprises
beyond the reach of individual exertlons;
but when they are granted for almost "a
my purpose within the scope even of in
divnlual effort. so as to enteg into COM
petition with private pfrsons, they at
oace become odious monpposies. and are
| against the public veal. The result Of
makiGs them so abundant in our own
State is to divide it into wS parties
he people on one side, and associations
/ with ercl,saoe privileges anS PHers or
the other. Thus we have virtues ge J
pea.ed examples of the interest
people, and those ofcharlered i9
beins SETH jaxta- position, q
| at..,,,r
the side of legal privileges
tiaEs without salutary restr - is : s. s,
proven themselves over nd over .sa,n
to be too powerful for the people when
their seperate interests are -aifFrssssat--
they have gone even further than this,
aud swaye,l legislation.
The history of corporate powers In the
United States--and we may say in our
own State; has shown that such a profu-
sion of them is unfavorabie to i9elfv.
and destructive OF private enterlr'se.
They are in too many cases surrender
| by the people, through their representa-
tives, Of power which they ula4sesSTvv'
to themselves. and a sacrifice OF he Inv
terests Of many for the agra dizenent
of few. Privileges that are possessed
in Common. aud not by a few srclaSauety
best accord with the genius st popular
institutions. and when taken from the N a
ny and given to few, uniier the sote,n-
nifty Of certain forms which the lay has
imposed. are much more frequently IN
imical than beneficial. Wesare fire.
quently pointed, by the advocate OF corr
porations. to their creation, and exIs
tence without coming in contact with
popular rights, under the laws OF Egg
land, which we have 80 extensively a
dopted. and copied from, in this country.
The cases are not parallel however. If
we have adopted some English ldlcs into
our statute book, and copied from 9TH
ers, we have aeither copied or adopted
their form of goceranlsVf. Tha|1
ton of corporations IN ~
from the crown. an3r
they having fev
a corporation