The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1881-04-14
MORALS AND CAPITAL.

MORALS AND CAPITAL.
a Minister speaks srand1y fer tie
Pe0ple-The Rich Richer and the
Poor Poorep-The Right 04 Tramsle
IL q Night Oe the People-The People
Muse own the Railroads Or Ne
Owned BY Them.
LECTURE by Rev. c. c. Csyerno, delivered in Hershey
HAL, Chicago.l
It is said that the tendency Of modern
civilization is to make the rich richer
and the poor poorer, toward the accumu-
lation Of property in few hands; and
the mergence Of land in England - the
ownership Of few proprietors, - also
Of railway property in the United States
is cited Is proof of the statement. The
facts III reference 10 the land in England
and the railroads in the United States
cannot be denied. But this may not be
q necessary result. The evil may, after
all, he flexible, susceptible Of remedy.
There can be no doubt that morals will
utter no uncertain sound on such q
tendency. They will say that there is
something wrong where such results can
be secured.
It is little singular that Just exactly
opposite tendencies have been in opera
ton in England and in France for the
last century-that the one has exactly
undone what the other has done. The
landowners of England number but
&C, 900 all told. That was the condition
of France century agc-a few mobiles
owned all the land and the people were
tenants. little removed from serfs under
the feulal system. All that hos been
altered within this century. The land
owners Of France to-day number H.
OOO, 900. The condition in England has
been brought about by the law Of pri-
mogeniture, and BY other laws favoring
entail Of land from generation to gen
Grafton. The condition in France has
been brought about by an opposite
course in Legislation, an opposite drift in
| law. PrimOgeniture was abolished, and
the division Of estates, when they passed
by inheritance, compelled. BY this SIM
pie procedure, homeless nation has,
within the memory Of living men, been
converted into one whose families have q
home on land to which they have . title
in fee. In 1920, Mr.. Webster-when
the Code Napoleon, by which these
changes in French law we're introduced,
had been in operation only sixteen
years-said the changes in the laws of
inheritance would ultimately change the
form of government of the French ma
ton. and that the change would not be
in favor of the power Of the crown. He
said: !" We have had experience, and We
know that a multitude Of small propri-
etors, acting with intelligence and
that enthusiasm which a common cause
inspires, constitutes not only formid.
able but IN invincible power" Mr..
Webster's prediction exhibited mar
velous insight ito the consequences q
some very simple Legislation. French
homes in fee md the French republic
are there to-day to convince US that some
Of the bad tendencies Of our times and
situation are not beyond remedy. Al
evil, to be remcdied, must be clearl,
seen. Take the railroad problem, and
take the New York Central rs an in
stance. It is an immoral result for tina
great line Of commerce to belong to ont
man for its rents, issues and profits 4
go directly only to the enlargement OF hi
Golfers; for the people to be only parties
of secondary interest in the management
of such q property; for the people t,
be compelled to take such privileges Q
may be left to them after such divi
dends are made to such an amount o
stock as one man chooses to nominate
for rates OF transit Of persons and mer
chandise to rest in the will of one man
for such property to pass by inherit
ance from father to son. Turkey itsel
can scarcely exhibit worse result IN til
J morals Of finance and industry. Con
slider out Of what this property is built
. It is built from the necessity and tn
right Of the people to transmit over tn
face Of the earth. Public policy fonnde
in moral consideration began with th
. practice that transit should he free
: Roads were opened through the land fire
to all. And wherever the people hay
needed q new route through private prof.
, erty it has been opened ut the publ
expense, free to all comers and goei
thereon. We hive kept the rivers fre
to all who would put thereon boat
. ship. When transit by canal was il
! augurated there was no thought b,
: that this right of the people shoul
still inhere in this mode Of locomotiol
and that the people should preser,
. title to the canals as far ~ they wei
!: property. The people of the State
|. New York own the Erie canal. Th
! canal has paid all costs of CONSTRUCTION
!, repair. enlargement, and paid to Il
State $50, ,OOO, 900 beside. In this i
. stance we sec the principle exempliti.
that the new and more artificial mod
= of transit and communication shon
. still inure to the benefit of the peopl
2 The genius Of De Witt Clinton ma
9 the Erie canal and gave it to the peol
); Of the State Of New York. The gclli
= Of Vanderbilt converted the New 70
= Central railroad, already made, to hi
self, Here is one Of the most immol
perversions in q moral right III
the world has ever seen. It
right that the people should ha
!. transit from place to place. II there .
= :. costs about its procuring. that tran
g g should only be subject to the liquitati
= OF these costs. It is an immoral proct
= ure to found q perpetual private proper
on such public right, or to snbordin,
the public right to the private proper
!. When now, steam locomotion by
~ comes to take the place Of other mot
of transit-to supersede the old road a
even the river. and largely the canal
is simple justice to man and his neces
= ties that this mode Of transit should
low the course already establishe.
should be used by the people as nea
free as dues to the cost Of construct
L. and operation permit. It is simply g
: morals that the people should own
:. control tho railways as they do the 70
- river or canal. The peoples right
!. transit and communication is the (
- right. It will run through all means
locomotion invented or to he invent
But now, We have the exhibit on Q
means Of locomotion substantially ex
, ns gushing that right Or trying to ef
that end.
81 The granger legislation and lit gal