Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-07-28


men as Jay Gould or William II. Van
derbilt, or any other wealthy capitalist,
but to argue in the defense Of just and
safe principles. The danger did not
exist in these individual persons, but
in the condition of things which their
position indicated. AS property in
England was entailed from one genera
ton to another through hundreds of
years, so the great corporations which
these men controlled lived on and on,
even though they should die, and if
not properly controlled and restrained,
would continue to exercise unnatural
and unwarranted power indefinitely.
One man in temporary control of
these corporations might pass away,
but as one czar the other day stepped
into the shoes of his assassinated pre-.
decessor, so would Others be found to
direct their gathering power, and with
the same result. These men, if allow
ed to continue in their present pO-
sitions of power, could deliberately put
their hands into the pockets of the
people, and they would be powerless
to resent the imposition. Three or
four leaders in the telegraph monOpolies,
combining and thus killing competition,
could compel the merchants of the
country, who were forced in this age
to use the telegraph, to pay such a
tariff or tax as it was alone in the
power of the government to demand
for its support and maintenance from
the people. The question arose, hay
ing granted these corporations their
rights, having enacted laws and put
them upon the statute books, were the
people, after calling these organizations
into existence, at their mercy? Were
the people to submissiyely give up
their rights? 1t was Fundamental
law that water never rose higher than
the fountain from which ii flowed. 1t
was likewise II fundamental principle
in law and government that the rights
which are conferred by the people can
never rise higher than hepeople them
selves. (ApplauscJ That
THE ruWER GRANTED BY THE PEOPLE
never essays TO greater strength than
the strength which granted it. Cor
pOratiOns had been called into exist
encc by the people, and it was the peo.
pie who should resist or restrain their
conduct, at least so far as their con-
duct affected themselves, and was in
imcal to their interests. If there was
no other way to restrain the power
of these corporations it must be
done some day by revolution itself. |
(Applause) But, thank God! there was
no need for uneasiness in this country
where the majority rules and where
the ballot could decide. Applause.
The people must take control into their
own hands, and exercise the right
which it belonged to them to exercise,
and if necessary, bring about proper
legislation at Washington and at our
state capitals. No man could say how
this will ultimately be done, but it
would be done in time. The people of
America were too intelligent to sub
nit to oppression of any character, and
they would continue to agitate until
the corporations were brought into such
restraint that, although they would not
be denied the privilege of making a
large profit, they would be prevented
from abusing their privilege or i'm
properly exercising any rights that
might be granted them to the detri,
ment of the people. Left mrestrained,
these corporations, developing into
monopOlies, were sure TO bring the
whole country in time under the con
troll OF men who would be scarcely un-
like The lords and masters of old, the
whole country would become one great
manor, and the people would
FIND THEMSELVES BOUND DOWN
and subjected to all the indignities that
fell upon the fcuda yassals of three
and four hundred years ago. Ap-
plause. 1t would then indeed be true
that the rich became richer, while the
poor in an inverse ratio became miSer
ably poorer and poorer 1t was at least
Il slight check to these unjust cOndi-
tions to place an iron hand upon these
mOnOpolies. 1t was no eXageration, no
fancy sketch to picture the country
gradually drifting under the control of
a few men who managed few corpor-
ations, and to the substantial destruc-
tiOn of our prosperity and freedom.
The speaker asked his hearers as Ameri-
can citizens if they were willing TO sub
nit to this condition of things? He
asked them whether the Jay Goulds
and the Vanderblts were to be allowed
to trample upon the rights of the peo-
pie with impunity? The people would
in time restrain cOrporatOns-fOr they
were agents of civilization which the
country could not do without, but
which though they were necessary to
them, must be restrained, or else what
was intended to serve the people and to
advance civilization would tend to
enslave the people, become their mas
ters, and again reduce mankind to a
condition of barbarism.