West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-05-11

picable tyranny. No man can deny
that such an interference, whereby
the law takes sides between its citi
zens in what should be an equal
contest, is inevitably followed by
such results.
The manufacturers of our country
furnish an indisputable illustration
of this getting rich by. legislation.
Another method of getting rich
by the aid of law is the creation OF
monopolies. Monopolies are Gre
ated either by law or by combina
tions which are made possible by
the law. They also exist some.
times by force of circumstances.
These monopolies generally assume
the shape of corporations charter
ed by legislation, State or federal.
1t is true that there is no set limit
to these charters. In theory, if one
railroad company is Incorporated,
another may be between the same
points. So of banks and all other
business associations. In good pol
icy they should always be multi
piled, for the greater the number
the less the monopoly; but in fact
many corporations become suf-
ficiently powerful to prevent
the establishment Of their rivals.
Even where the Legislature is true
to it's duty and charters enough
companies to give the people the
benefit of competition, they combine
among themselves and become toall
intents and purposes a monopoly.
In this form they are more danger
Gus than when acting siugly, for
their power to influence legislation
is so much greater. Not only so,
but being united in interest and un-
der such simple executive manage
ment, they can easily destroy all
competition by the weight Of their
combined capital alone, without re-
gard to legislation. All they ask OF
the law is TO be made body-poli-
tic, by which a number of persons
can act with the efficiency and con-
venience of a single man, and that
the law should then stand off. The
monopoly follows as a matter of
course, and individuals, communi-
ties, States, and entire regions of
country are plundered with absolute
impunity. In this way the most
powerful and beneficial agent of
modern progress is converted into
an engine of oppression, without
conscience and without responsible
ity. For it must be admitted that
no conception of modern times has
done so much to promote, human ad-
vancement in all that pertains to
the accumulation of wealth as this
association of individual effort
which charters of incorporation at.
ford. But the greater the benefits
of the system, the greater the need
to see that they are not permitted to
convert those benefits into positive
evils-the more urgent the duty of
legislators to keep them the SER
wants, and not the masters, of the
people Among the few and highly
intelligent, these combinations are
easily effected and this is seen daily.
Not only do the corporations ere
ated for the same purpose conspire
to influence legislation or to control
trade in the absence of legislation,
but, as a general rule, all other cor
porations whatsoever do the same.
The banks, the railroads, steamship
companies, the manufacturers and
trust companies all make common
cause, and that cause is to shape
legislations and public policy in
their interest. This gives to their
peculiar interest such an, apparent
approval of public opinion that it is
often mistaken for public interest,
and legislators not seldom believe
that in following their suggestions
they .are serving the public, when,
in fact, they are simply serving the
corporations.
Here is room for reform-quite as
badly needed as in tariff taxation.
The one is an outrage by commits
sion and the other by the omission
of the law. The one plumbers By
the direct command of the law; the
other plumbers because the law does
not step in and forbid. Some idea
can be obtained of the amount of
unjust taxation collected from the
people by protective tariffs, because
the statistics pertaining to that part
which goes into the public treasury
enables us to form an approximate
estimate of the vast remainder.
But who can give reasonable esti-
mate of the untold.-because un-
known-amount of iniquitous taxa
ton levied upon the American peo-
pie and collected by distress by the
great transportation companies,
rings and trusts of this country?
They keep no books open to the
public, they furnish no statistics,