The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-10-02
Property and It's Control.

Conciseness has its perils as well as
its advantages. The brevity of our
reference, in last weeks issue, to Rev.
J. +. Wrght's sermon on Property
and Its Control may have led to cJSns
misrepresentation of its import, which
few qualifying phrases, such as doubt
less would have appeared in fuller re-
port, would have prevented. We there
fore append some passages from the
discourse itself:
The question agtating very many minds
to-day is, Has not the time come for society
to assume control Of a larger fraction of ex-
listing property than 1t has actually admin
istered in this century, and hold it undi-
vided, undistributed for the general good?
Are not present conditions pointing towards
the wisdom of gradual change in this
direction? Does not our social evolution
tend this way? Cut-throat competition is
cutting its own throat, and in place of the
many firms battling with one another in
| frantic rivalry we have the few enormous
establishments, AMI these are now seen
uniting in gigantic trusts and syndicates.
! And the very advantages which these COM
| binationS evidently possess are suggesting
a single step more in the same direction
! the step from trust monopoly for the
| benefit of a few to a governmental monop-
oily for the benefit of all And the AFRO
gance with which immense corporations
domneer over the publiC-that very public
which has given them the right to be, and
has granted them invaluable privileges
burdening heavily weighted communities
! with increase of taxation, controlling legis-
lation by corrupt and demoralizing meth
DDS, disregarding solemn obligations, and
repudiating promises, is in some quarters
| loudly calling for the eXertion of the only
human power that is stronger than theirs
the power OF the government; and, as one
has suggested, governmental control
passes easily into governmental ownership"
Wht re the state already does so much as it
now does in the control of roads, streets,
watercourses, lighthouses and postal facil-
tiles, in the administration of Justice, in the
protection of property from fire, in the edu-
cation of children, in caring for the afflicted,
and in many other ways, il surely is no
revolutionary step for it to buy and man
age the Geographic systems of the land and
run the railroads by its own officials, both
of which are already done in some coun-
tries. This is Enthusiastically the tendency
of things near the close of the nineteenth
century. 1.-THE steady growth of the or
ganic life is asserting itself" says Rev. DR..
Heber Newton, in the spreading convic-
ton that private interest can not be allowed
to stand in the way of the public interest,
and that all rights must be held in trust for
the common wealth"
One thing seems necessary, however, be-
fore our government adds much to its pres
ent functions, and that is that it's civil
service be more thoroughly redeemed from
the faint of craftsmanship, and that in this
regard the admirable principles set forth in
party platforms be not forgotten when the
time for reducing them to practice ar.
rives. In a land like ours greed
will overreach ITSELF the very excuses OF
arrogant capital will defeat it's selfish ends
competition will, scorpion-like, sting itself
to DEATH vast combinations will suggest gov
ernmental control, and intelligence, work
ing under the impulse of moral and re
ligious sentiment, will more and more
/, mould institutions into accord with the
fraternal principles which form the founda
tion-stones OF true republic. Christianity
has not lost its power, and Christianity IL
the doctrine of brotherhood. teaches tina
men and women are not isolated individuals
but members of one and the same grea
body; that they have common interest il
the general welfare, and that the highes
and most satisfying life will never b,
realized till each seeks the good of all. |
, teaches that, whatever we may have con
sidered our own, whatever we may hav
thought ourselves to have earned, we ow
= more than we have ever paid and that b,
far the larger part of all we have and en-
joy to-day is "unearned increment" Ant
8 if, in the gradual improvement OF the socia
order society finds it eXpedient to use thi
& [" unearned increment ~ for the genera
y welfare, may we be prepared to acquiesc
cheerfully. And let us not wait for tn
pressure of legal compulsion. " AS ever
0 man hath received the gift, even so min
lister the same one to another, as good stew
ards '-(not oWnerS)-"a as good stewards G
g the manifold grace of God"
There are thousands of ways to attest tn
brotherly spirit and aim Many of them ar
e open to you and to me. Let us use then
and do our share towards righting tn
s wrongs which sadden the earth.