Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1878-07-11
From Rnlt. Evening Bulle,in)
L:..nain Law: tt: Corporate Capital.

If the elephant had the activity, the
energy and the vital force of the flea, in
proportion TO hi size, some one ha,
,aid, he would dcpnpuIa;c the world.
But the elephant has no such powers al
all. lie does not lire in proportion To
his size, because ne docs no, coaSHEi, in
proportion To his size, compared with
tn flea. The flea prObably eats many
tunes his weight and bulk IN the course
OF twcntv-lour hours; his little pulses
50 70 speak, beat with Understandable
yigor. and 20 ii happens that ~ his brief
hfe. he i mol only IN Il state CT IrcC>-
SAINT activity, but he performs i"ats Of
strength and energy which would seem
utterly impossible, rs they are, indeed.
by human standards. The anaconda,
Oh thr other hand i an animal almost
pulselCss and iilelc>s. Once in six
weeks, perchancc, he slowly uncolls his
folds, g0rges himself upon = single meal
Of c-fourth his weight, folds himself
slowly up and goes to sleep once more.
AnaloIics are not arguments, OF
course, but they are Illustrations: the
energy Of small capital in the hands Of
individuals compares with the energy
OF aggrandizcd capital in the control of
corporations as the vital forces of the
flea compare with those ri the anacOn-
da. And this also by the weight Of
well-knCwn social principles. For the
capital in the living hand Of the indi-
vidual is employed as a means Of pes
Lii 80 IL .. i
hand of the corporation IT Is kept as
source of slow bot safe accumulation.
The one Is the stream, ever flowing.
ever sparkling and watering in rs own
career a thousand fields: the other, The
dead and Stagnant reservoir, INTO winch
a thousand streams are poured, that
single mill may be turned. Ii, then.
the prosperity of society IS to be guagcd
bv lis standard Ut consumption, aygrc-
glticns Of incorporated capital are hurt
iul 10 the general prosperity, for they
check consumption instead ui promOt-
ing il. This J. az argument which. Il
will be noted, Is entirely independent
Of the fact, noteworthy also, that these
drad-head associations, universally. a.
soon Is they become stron. enough, use
their influence IN favor o! legislation "a
check pro,iwciion likewise n order that
nominal profits may not decrease.
The living hand scatler~. but uses
the dead hand thrOt:!c-, but never lets
90 the capital within A. reach. The
activity Of capital j. ten times a. great
in the hands IL individuals a Of c0ipo-
I. 4 e. 60.
long, untd adverse times come, when
they sink capital also in the same stag
nant pool in which they have already
drowned energy. They are atLou-aud
Instance Of this. The half Of the rich
lands Of Lower Canada are ne mort
main holdings Of religious societies, who
simply own aud do not improve: and
Lower Canada l. desert. The pio-
necr goes into the wilderness with hi,
axe. and soon his quarter section has q
house on IT, and tiled fields, and cat
/ lie, and blossoms like rose; thou
sand pioneers Do a. he. al! presently
YOU have a State, full ol men wh1 make
laws a. well a. crops. who buy a, well
as sell, who live 10 consume. who do
not accumulate Tor the sake y; accumu-
I4ling. The railroad goes thi.heg, and
. is vast alternate townships lie idle and
I barren, denied 10 The pioneer, denied
( To production, denied 10 cOg-um VfiDn,
. because accumulated capital can afford
TO wait its price. IT i the case OF the
/ flea and the anaconda precisely.
Senator William sprague, Of Rhode
Island, laid down the Law Of this des-
truction OF energy by concentrated cap
itaI with wonderful accuracy in his
memorable speech July 4th. 1870, j
sg5inst cOnsOlidation-one Of the most
remarkable cases Of political and eco
I noEiical prediction on record. Then,
the State OF Rhode island was owned
by two cotton printing firms. Since
/ then. the Spragues have failed, and one
firm oans Rhode IslaDd-tbc Ives, v b.