The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1882-07-14

power ana prohibited every order aud
title Of nobility.
Shall this grand fabric of govern
ment the foundations Of which were so
wisely laid by our fathers, be eteraAB
Dr shall it disy,lye and disappear 'fike
the baseless fabric Of visionl" That
10 ths great question which we must
solve. We are the trustees ofa great
heritage and we must transmit IL un-
impaired to thoss who shall succeed
~, those nsxs in expectancy.
Oar material growth AMI physical
development for y long period Of time,
are assured. We now have about
81, 1000, 900 Of people within oEr borders
anu according 10 the usual ratio Of in.
crease Of population. this number will
double in twenty FIVE years without any
accessions from foreign lands, but with
the steady flow Of population hitber
from every "folk hive" upon the earth
We may reasonably expect that the
present population will be more than
doubled by the end oftbe present CEN
tury. Kssping pace With the increase
Of population, unless our legislation is
more fundamentally wrong and VICIOUS
than il has hitherto been our national
wsAlt1 ought $50 to double in the same
tim.
And herein lies one Of the greatest
perils that besets our pathway. Is pub
lie virtue, is patriotism strong enough
to resist the Establishments of
power and wealth. In other
words, can the ballot be kept
pur~l Shall il still "exaress the freemans
will" or shall it bs controlled and direct
ed by the hand OF 4veride, and that
greed and thirst for power, which has
destroyed every Republic upon the face
Of the earth In which il found an abjd-
ing place. Shall this country be con-
trolled by It's people by the men who
have hewn their way through forests
and mountains and who have trAversed
arid deserts from the Atlantic 10 tue
Pacific and from the lakes and gulf
by the men who actually produce the
wealth Of the country by their labor;
or by q moneyed oligarchy, having It's
central station in IFall Street with
pickets and spies and organized forces
in every city, toWn and hamlet in the
laudl
The wealth Of this country is rapidly
passing away from the people who rro-
duce it by their labor, into the hands
Of myriads Of corporations. These cor
porations are invisible intangible, soul
less beings, aetuated by common par
poses, without neral and freeuentlv,
without legal restraint or responsibility.
They are not content 70 follow the o.
tensible objects Of their creation but
must enter into and take part In the
politics Of the country, and in the pres
snt great division Of parties, Asy are alE
on one side. Not only that, but they
do actually control executives, courts,
Legislatures ani frequently, congress.
Their invisible hands are moving in
every slection-their hired ernissaries
lurk at every poll. What motives have
they for making such atrociops assaults
upon the purity OF the ballot boxl
None other than the motive cf the rob.
Der who takes your money or The pro-
ceeds of yonr labor without rendering
to you an equivalent for it.
A decade or two only under this sys-
tenn have fahiliaiized our Gars witt, the
names of nsitliOacaries who have
drawn I, themselves the wealth of the
country faster than you can produce it
by your labor. This wrong is produc-
ed by bad laws which were actually
designed for its accomplishment. These
vast accumulatiens of wealth ought TO
hays been kept distributed among the
people by whose labor they were l.ro-
duced and to whom they OF right belong.
These men, by virtue of their wealth
call themselve Kings-railrOad Kings,
and they now exercise such absolute,
despotie power that when the price of
grain or other commodity which you
have for sale advances few cents In
the market, like advance on freight
enables the King to appropriate to him
self that for which You have labored
and which Of right belongs to you.
These corporations do not possess un-
limited power nor are they the final or
exclusive Judges Of their powers or
rights. They are the creatures Of Law
and are subject to law, not only the
law as it exists. but such as shall be
enacted hereafter. Mr. Justice Woods
In Barton vs. Barbour in the suprems
court Of the United States leclar es the
true rule of law applicable alike to all
corporations. He said /:
"A railroad is authorized to be con-
structed, more for public good to he
subserved, than for private gain. A.
q highway for pnblic tranosprtation,it j.
a matter of public concerH, and its con
struotion and management belong pri
marily to the commonwealth and are
only put into private hands to subserve
the public convenience and economy
But the public retains rights of vast
consequence in the road and its append
ages, which neither the company mol
any creditor or msntgasee can interfere
with. They take their rights subject
to the rights of the public, and mus;
be content to enjoy them in subordina-
ton thereto" These principles, il
rigialy applied and carried to their
logical consequences will tend to sub
due and render submissive to the law
these presumptuous and arrogant cor
porations. But after all, the people dc
not wish to destroy them, but to con,
troll and fix limit to their exactions,
and deprive them of the power to plum
der and rob those who are compelled tc
deal with them-an impartial, fearless
arbiter who shall stand between their
rapacity and the necessities of tie peo.