The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1881-06-02
M0N0pnLlE8.
4 strong Article from Harper
weekly.

weekly
In .lroal, telegraph, and other corpo-
rttions received grants Of public powers
because they were supposed to be neces-
sary servants to the industries Of the
people. It is now apparent that they
have ceased to be servants, and become
masters. They were created to be use-
ful, and were authorized to receive from
commerce fair repayment for the serv-
ice rendered it by their use Of the public
powers which had been granted them.
We now see some Of these corporations
vast principalities, no longer serving,
but commanding aud controlling the
commerce and industry Of the country,
no longer i'll the position Of paid labor
ers for service rendered, but imposing
heavy charges ON the people ct their
own will. and collecting their oppressive
taxes with the uncomfortable tyranny
Of monopolists. Tie people who own the
powers exercised by these corporations
Entrusted the powers to them for the
public good, and these franchises,
managed for selfish ends, have be-
come public burden intolerable to
the people themselves. Nor is this all.
The growth to which these corporations
have attained makes it exceedingly
doubtful whether the government, the
people, will ever be able to recover the
powers. The monopolist company has
become small Government III itself.
Its stockholders aud bondholders are
among the people, and their independent
action rs voters is seriously affected
against the public good by their private
interests. The great railway company
has more power over the commerce of n
city than the State itself possesses; it
can elevate or depress the commercial
interests of whole population; it eau
make or unmake the value Of port on the
seaconst or a central depot city in the in
terror: it can give preferences to the
agriculture OF the manufactures Of diff
fercnt localities by imposing unequal
tariff Oh access to markets. Its laws
AID regulations thus become more direct
inposts Oh the industrial pursuits Of
haen, rich aud poor, than the laws Of the
state. Thepeople who are thus affected
have no remedy rs against this new gov
eminent Which has been erected over
them, except Ivy endeavoring to reach it
through the State which created it. In
this attempt it is discovered that, while
holding the property Of the people in
one grasp, the great monorplist power
has another strong grasp on the popular
government itself.
II it happens that in local elections
there be unscrupulous politicians who
control primary meetings and nominal
tlons, the money Of the corporation be-
comes the most efficient agent i'll choos-
ing the men TO becoMe lawmakers tor
the people. II direct corruption he not
practicable, it employs thousands oi per-
sons whom it uses rs Voters, ant, with
whose votes it is able tx control cleo
tons here aud there. Its elected repr >
sentatives are found in Legislatures
where they are able ohareain with other
corrupt Legislators for exchanges Of
votes, and TINS defeat the attempts OF
the people either 10 recover their lost
powers or to regulate the use Of them III
the hands Of the mcnopolistS. Aud,
while thus directly interfering with law
| making power, the great corporations
obtain strong control over the laN-inter-
prctins power. In their extensive hnsi-
| hess II becomes necessary to have legal
advice. and lawyers in all large towns
and cites are retained and employed in
contests which Involve the fundamental
disputes between corporate powers
and public or private rights. In
sensibiy to themselves, vast
| nnnlner az able lawyers cease n
hold impartial views, and adopt opinions
| 81 law wholly in favor IF corporations as
against the people. This leads to one
Of the grvatt,st dangers now oyerhang.
ing us. Such lawyers 60 up to the
benches aud sit i'll our courts. Iii the
profession they were familiarly known as
corporation lawyers, and on the bench
they are corporation Judges. There is
no need of attlihuting corrupt action to
| our courts. We have no reason to mp.
prehend that amy such degradation has
ov.rtaken us. But corporation law
has obtained such held on the minds Of
| men long accustomed to contend fol
corporations that they carry it with then
to the seat Of the Judges. The result j.
notorious. and not to be disputed, tina,
principles Of law are enunciated from the
bench and reported in the books for fu
tnre reference, which might make law
yers Of the days Of Kent and Marshall
and Story restless in their graves. At
tempts Of the Government to regulate
the exercise Of the franchise it has Rlver
to corporations are met with opinions q
Judges leaning toward the doctrine that
the corporations are Independent
| States, with absolute indcfeasible
sovereignty. Suits by private citi
zens to protect private property
from corporate seizure without
compensation are dismissed by courts
which tell them, /" Your private prop
erty was subject to the right Of the pub
lie to use it for public benefit. and tho
people have given to this corporation thu
right to use it for its own benefit, anG
the corporation, SO far rs you are con
cerned, now stands in the shoes Of thu
Government. In every case in thu
courts in Which question arises between
the right Of the people to rule the cor
poration and the right Of the corpora
ton to rule the people, there is visible
to say the very least, strong predispo
sition on the part of some judges to sns
tain the corporation. Thus it has com.
about that the doctrine prevails to-da,
in our courts that = grant Of franchise
carries with it the grant Of a right to IL
anything and ev.rvthing-Mhosesoe
rights stand in the wav-which may Il,
necessary to the exercise and enjoymen
of the franchise; with the additional in
depreciation that enjoyment" means
making the franchise profitable to tn,
pocket Of the corporation. And i,
this way has grown up that condition
If things which We Row see in Ney
York. where private enjoyment Of pr
va'e property in houses standing OF
public highways, which have been pub
lie highways ever silce New York was
Dutch viilage,. Is snddealy destroyed
the public road of ancient days is trans
formed into qnasi,public, hut, il
truth, a private road for the private eA
lnvment OF the stockholders of a privat
corporation, and the householder, VIII
now lives on neither street nor rail
. raaj in iarlna~S whara nnpa ,roS Ill