Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1854-12-05
CORPORATIONS.
ny THE LATE WILLIAM LEocErr.

Is reading the lucubraiions of the al.
voca,es OF monopolies and inccrpofa'
tons, one might be induced 10 wonder
how other countries, no! favored with the
marvellous expelients for the proper
development Of enterprise" an ] the EN-
ploymcnt Of "capi,al," managed not on.
y to exist but also to enjoy consider
able share Of prosperity. According 10
their doctrine, the people, in their cap"'
city Of body polite can 10 nolhlns; !;
individual capital, except aided by eX.
elusive privileges, can do nothing IN the
way Of public Improvements, Without
interpretations we can have no roads I;
without interpretations we can have no
canals or any other public Improvements;
without interpretations We can have no
money; and by and by. we shall, per.
haps, be told that unless the bakers be
incorporated, we shall have no bread.
la order 10 have public improvements,
ga proper developcment Of enterprise, y
and ga beneficial employment Of capi.
tal." it woull seem, according to these
writer's, ,hui il is Indispensable lha, the
! great mass Of the people should be di.
vested Of the Equal Rights guaranteed
TO them by the Constitution.
Did these advocates Of interpretations
ever read of the great Roman aqueduct
for conveying water from Tusculum to
Rome f? Did they ever hear Of the Ap.
plan way, both the work Of a singh man!
Or did they ever hear Of the Flaminian
way, also the work Of one masnlilcen,
Roman Z? These works, like the Egyp.
lian Pyronds, seem destined 10 be coe.
val with the duration Of The earth that
supports them. Some twenty centuries
have elapsed since their construction,
and almost hundred generations have
ayailcd themselves Of these great public
benefits, and still they remain the almost
eternal monuments OF individual public
spirit. VIII any of our railroads or in
coiporated bridges last as long! For
period Of near two thousand years. the
inhabitants Of Rome, and Of all the
world that nockcd TO Rome, have enjoy.
ed the bonef, of these great public I'M
provements, without paying single cen,
in tolls, or for a drink Of water, ana with.
out the grant of single privilege 10 a.
ny man OF any association Of men.--
Neither App'u. Claulius, nor Titus Fla.
minus, nor their heirs, ever levied con.
Jribuiions cn the people Of Rome for the
water'of the "cqu-duct or the use Of the
road. We never heard that either Ap.
Plus or Flaminius was incorporated !;
transmitted into Irresponsible noncn,ties
above the laws CT so slippery as to evnde
their operation. They were mere simple
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. an orator, the other a
soldier who fell in defending his country
against Hannibal, Actua,ed by noble
spiit of patriotism, they gave to their
coun,rywen as free gift, what it seems
can now only be attained in this mod.
crn republic by grants Of exclusive priv
ileses and by a tax upon the people.
All the ancient, world is filed with in.
stances Of these noble benelactions for
public purposes ; and is there any rea.
son why this new world should not en-.
ulatc the example ? 4 few Stephen Gi.
rcrL. might u similar spirit of munf.
icence confer equal beneGii on this coun.
try. But we do not rely upon inlivid.
ual wealth or patriotism to do all that is
salu,ary in the way Of public improve
menls. We look to the wants Of the peo.
pie, and 10 the great interests o: the
community at large for such purposes.
Is the hope falIa'ious, or have we ho ex'
amples to encourage Us
Let us see what the people through
the agency of their representatives. have
already done in this and other States Of
the Union, and Ie, US see what they have
done elsewhere. Was the great canal
of Lansuedoc the work Of incorporated
/ company Was that system OF canals
| in China, to which the oil world affords
no parallel, the work Of an incorporated
company or companies Are the great
systems Of internal Improvements, in op.
Grafton in Pennsylvania and OHIO, the
work Of incorporated companies, or are
they the work Of the people of those
States through the agency of their com.
mon representatives, and by means Of
their common resources? And last,
though not least, have not the greatest
works of this age, the Erie and Champ.
lain canals, been achieved by the people
the great body polite Of the State
after an incorporated company had TO-.
tally failed in comple,ing one small sec.
ton Of this noble enterprise =! Nay, let
US 20 furthe,, and ask whether in nine
cases out of ten incorporated companies
for great national objects, have not fail.
ed, and been obliged a, last to throw
themselves on the charity Of the state for
support? Have we forgotten the Della.
ware and Hudson Canal Company, and
the loans of State credit =? And is it no..
notorious that at this moment the Ohio
and Chesapeake Canal Company is de.
pendent on Congress for the ability to
meet the Dutch loan Instances might
be multiplied to ,ediousuess were it ne.
cessary. but the recollection Of every
man will supply them. ai.
| In the face Of these undeniable facts,
we are not to be told, that we are for
putting an end to all future public i'm.
pfovements, because We are opposed TO
interpretations. The imputation is as
weak as it is unfoun lei, for tho exam.
pies we have a1duceI, an ! coul adduce
by scores, sufficiently prove that incor.
poratel companies are not iudispensa-
Bile, not even safe agents to depend upon