The western sentinel., 1889-06-20
FOR SOUTHERN STATESMEN.

A problem of much interest dis
cussedoby the Hon. William L.
Wilson, of West Virginia, in his ad-
dress recently to the literary societies
of Wake Forest College, was the
subjugation Of trusts.
The rising generation is charged
with the task of bringing these in
dustrial monstrosities under the con-
troll Of the State. They constitute,
says Mr.. Wilson, menace to the
ballot box, to the judiciary, to every
interest of the citizen.
Monarchial governments, by max
ing state monopolies of things trusts
! undertake to control, are able to keep
them under, but we have to find
other methods. "We have to subiu-
gate and tame them," said the speak
er, Gin accordance with the great
traditions of our ancestors"
1t is for us to make them contrib
ute to promote the ends of good
government rather than allow them
to undermine the fundamental prin-
ciples of our free institutions. They
and the large corporations through
which they act form a new class of
citizens animated by purposes hardly
conceived Of by the trainers of our
government. Wealth is constantly
being massed in the hands of these
persons-persons who never die.
We make progress in material
well-being, but the wealth of which
we boast is being accumulated in a
manner with which the fathers were
not acquainted. at does not abide,"
says Mr.. Wilson, "with the masses,
but is invested in this new class of
citizens with perpetual life."
"At thsgreat constitutional festival
the orator of the occasion was rail-
road president. He told us of the
advance in wealth. Rather than
this advance in wealth 1 would have
had him tell that we had added to
the stature of true manhood here in
America.
"We cannot destroy this citizen,
the corporation. The great problem
is not to do without him, but it is
to make democratic citizen out of
him. 1t is to subjugate and tame
him and make useful citizen out OF
him, so that the wealth of these cor
porations cannot impose a barrier to
the upward progress of the people,"
The South has hitherto been less
troubled in its social and local in
dustrial life by these abnormal COM
binations of capital than the North,
but the South has problems of its
own.
The six millions ofslaves convert
ed by the civil wal into citizens
constitute standing problem of the
utmost perplexity.
Their very inoompetency for the
discharge of political duties has,
however, to some extent, corrected
the error Of the fifteenth amendment. |
Amiable, genial and unthrifty, they
nave no ideas or interests they care
% assert as against the ideas and in
erests of their former masters.
Their only note of discord is that,
ander the tuition of persons animat-
d commonly by base and selfish
purposes, they vote steadily against
heir best friends. It is for the
southern white to edu cate the col
red brother out of this artificial at
nde of political opposition. This
one, the Southern problem is more
han half solved.
1t has been said that the colored
ian keeps European immigrants
'om settling il the South in any
onsideFable numbers. If this be
lie case it is not, perhaps, an I'M
liked evil. It is to some extent an
Vantage to the South politically, !
'cially and industrially, that it re- Q
ives additions to its population :
ON abroad only so fast as it can
oroughly assimilate them.
The good result of this state of
ings is seen in the fact that the ;,
'uth is to-day the most homogen- :
us and thoroughly American Sec 4