The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1881-03-18
wiSDoM on MoEopoLIEs.
The Views of the Secretary of the Tree
ury the Alarming Power OF
Great (.Csrpnrafinna

10 ali tneff Just rights, TO demand full
protection for the rights of the
citizen against the abuse and ag-
gressions OF corporate power, and 10
insist upon the enforcement of those
principles OF law and natural right de-
MED by the supreme court of the United
States. In this effort you have my most
hearty sympathy aud cooperation
Your cause Is Just, but in such contest
you grapple with giants Do not under /
rate the power or the skill of your an
tagonists Wise and conservative coun- /
seis Will alone secure success. You /
must be as prompt to concede rights as /
you are determined in demanding them. |
No agrariau or communisiic spirit must |
find place IN your proceedings. The !
character Of the men vino compose your |
organization gives assurance against |
danger on this point. Constitutions, |
natural rights, and the spirit of our in |
situations are ON your side. Intrenched |
behind these and fighting fer the right, |
you cannot fail.
Corporate power has done much to
develop our country. For its good |
deeds l freely accord it full credit AS
an instrument TO execute the will and
serve the interests OF the public, it is of
incalculable value; but as the imperi-
Gus ruler OF the people it is q most
cruel and relentless tyrant. Kept with
in the limits of proper restraint il is an
invaluable servant of the public Un-
restrained by the forces OF law and
public opinion it will prove a most
dangerous master. The individual
citizen is impotent to contend with this
gigantic and rapidly growing power.
Governmental authority, state and
national, alone is competent To restrain
its aggressions and correct its abuses.
have long foreseen that the time
would come when the people would be
compelled to evoke the exercise of that
authority for their protection. l repeat
to-day, in substance, words uttered seven
years ago, that there are in this country
four men who, in the matter of taxation,
possess and frequently exercise powers
which neither congress nor any OF our
state legislatures would dare to exert
powers which, if exercised in Great
Britain, would shake the throne to its
very foundation. These men may. at
any time, and for any reason satisfactory
to themselves, by u stroke of the pen, re-
duce the value of property in the United
States by hundreds of millions. They
may, at their own will and pleasure, dis
| arrange and EN- barrass business, depress
one city or locality and build MP anoth-
or, enrich one individual and ruin his
| competitors, and, when compliant is
made, coolly reply, What are you going
to do about it 81"
The men who WELD this stupendous
corporate power have grown wiser with
the passage of events. Hitherto they
have been apparently content to alb
sorb and control the great industrial
and material interests of the country
| by monopoly of the channels and in
| struments of transportation, but re-
I nj oil .nnA,tinnc
are presented. They know full well
that if the people can freely communi-
| cate with each other they will see the
| dangerous tendencies of this power and
organize to restrain il. Hence, in or
der to lay deep and sure foundations
| for the maintenance of their power,
and to defeat the efforts of the people,
to curb it, they have now seized upon
the channels of thought. Look al it a
moment. One man, who controls more
miles of railroad than any other in the
world, and who is almost daily adding
new lines to his colossal combination,
also controls the telegraphic system of
the United States and Canada, and Is
reaching under the sea to grasp that OF
Europe Not content with all this. and
determined that no instrument of COM
mercial and political power shall elude
his grasp, he is Gas l learn) also the own
er of three out of the seven newspapers
which constitute the associated press,
through the agency of which the news is
distributed over the entire country. He
may at any time secure the fourth paper,
which will give him absolute control
over the news which the people shall re-
ceive. When that takes place what will be
our condition? What choice will the
people then have to resist the encroacL-
ments of corporate power? How shall
they even communicate with each other
on the subject? What opportunity viii
there be for a fair discussion of these
questions? The daily news supplied to
the myriad of newspapers must first
pass under the supervision of one or two
men, who represent the associated press.
and who are appointed by its owner
They will have full authority, and doubt
less Will be required to suppress, add to,
or color the information thus sent out as
may best serve the interests, the ambi-
ton, or the malice of the man to whom
they owe their places. Hence, the 90.
100000 of people who read their
morning papers at their breakfast tables
will daily receive just such impress.
to give them. Public men and
affairs, and business interest and
movements, will be seen in the coloring
which shall best serve his interests. The
legislator who shall then be bold enough
to raise his voice IN behalf of the people
or to strike blow in their defense, will
be misrepresented or denied hearing
before his own constituents. The bust
ness man who shall venture to cues
ton the divine right of cOrpor,
ate rule will be crushed, and nc
telegraphic wire or associate press
will voice his foe or demand re
| d-aC IA ig fsAru h.
people will find themselves unable to
communicate with each other except by
the gracious will and pleasure of the
autocrat of the wires. Should special
correspondents undertake to supply in
formation not deemed expedient to be
sent by the associated press, they will
find that the owners OF the wires can
supply ready remedy for such prcsump
ton.
The channels of thought and the
channels of commerce thus owned and
controlled by one man, or by few men
what is to restrain corporate power, OIL
to fix limit to its exactions upon the
people? What is then To hinder these
men from depressing or Initiating the
value of all kinds of property to suit
their caprice or avarice, and thereby
gathering into their own Golfers thu
wealth of the nation? Where is thu
limit TO such power as this? What
shall be said of the spirit of free PEG
pie who will submit without a protest
7 to be thus bound hand and foot?
have limited at some of the dangers
which menace our future If it be tC
correct these evils and to avert thcs.
dangers your league has been organic
ed, it will receive the bcnedictions Of
the people.
The practical question is, what arr
you going to do about it?" To my
mind the answer is easy. This organ
lied gigantic corporate power can only
be kept under proper restraint by tho
organized power of the people, expressed
f through their state and national govern
ments. That such governmental power
exists and may properly be executed ]
have not partlcle of douBt 1t is plain
J ly written III our constitutions and hai
! been unequlvocally declared by the SUI
, preme court of the United States
} The limits of this letter will not per
nit discussion of the constitutions
: question nor detailed statement of thu
, practical remedy for existing evils.
: may, however, venture to suggest that
in my judgment, the first and most i'm
| p0rtant duty of congress is to enamel
| pate the people from the supervision ant
/ control of corporate monopoly by the es
: tabiishmcnt of system of postal tele
graphy, whereby they shall be afforded
t a safe. sure and cheap method of com
munication with each other. There i
: no doubt of the economy and success o
such a system. II has been tried il
| other countries with most satisfactor,
results.
! l am aware that it will require mucl
I care, labor aud skill to frame laws which
shall successfully regulate and restraii
. the action of the great transportation
companies without unnecessary injur,
3 10 them, and without emitting tbs essen
|, tial elements of protection to The public
; but l have no doubt 1t can be done
When the people demand il they viii
!. find the men to do it, l believe the tim
has come when this great work shoul'