The examiner., 1882-03-04
Corporations.
THE DEy11FIsH OF SOCIETY.


 Any individual in a settled community, exercising his natural rigl ts, can bring no harm to any other individual nor to the community.
 The true object of government should be to restrain every person from exceeding the rights inherent in him as human be- ing, to prevent combinations of individ uals that shall become oppressive to their fellowmen, to enforce responsibility for individual acts and to protect the commu- nifty in the exerc1se of natural rights from outside obstruction and interference. In other words to maintain equality of rights among the people.
 l Society has seen fit to create artificial persons or corporations, as distinguished from natural persons or human beings. Corporations are the work of man, not of God, and are combinations of individuals and capital for purpose which is declared in a charter which is the foundation of it's being and the reservoir of its powers.
 Corporations are created by the people through their representatives in the legis- lature. What power of good or evil each particular corporate body has, it derives from the charter which the people have given it.
 Every combination of individuals and capital infringes to some extent on the natural rights of individuals. That the infringement is not needlessly oppressive depends upon the powers granted to or assumed by the combination. Every cor poration should, therefore, receive it's pow CTS direct from the legislature, that the people may investigate the intent and pur- pose of it's formation. and confne it's pow CTS to the narrowest limit compatible with the good that the public may gain from it, and delegate no powers unless apparent good is to be derived therefrom, not to the i incorporators but to the public. AS a means for private speculation 8 charter never should be granted. Legitimate bus mess enterprise is the only source of good to all the people. A corporation that shall eventually come into the hands of bond holders, as against stockholders, should never be created. For these reasons we want no general statute for the formation of corporations in the dark. We want no ioint-stock law enabling foreign capitalists or adventurers to come to our state and put up tin sign Tn some public building and then leave the state jOint-stock cor poration to swindle the people with stock in some alleged gold mine. We want no general railroad law for the formation of unscrutinized railroad corporations fol speculative purposes. We want no law that permits the formation of any corpora tion outside of the legislature. Petition direct to the legislature is what the peo- pie want for every charter, and they want public officer whose business it shall be to investigate the affairs and acts of cor porations, and that officer to be elected by the people, The true object of govern ment being to secure equality of rights, and the people being the governing power, let the people beware how they grant pow CTS to individuals and capital combined. f The people may wing the shaft that shall 3 draw the life blood of their liberties. What is the condition of the people to. day is it condition of equality of rights 3 and responsibilities? If not, what has g distroyed the equilibrium is it the work g of combination of men and money? . Let the great mass of people who are e struggling for individual existence ponder. 0 Remember that man, placed as Goo q placed h1m, has an equal chance with hit 8 fellowmen. RUSSELL.