The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-08-06
A DAY OF WRATH.

There are in the United States Senate not
much less than one thousand million dollars
in the hands of men whose individual hold
ings range between $4,000 900 and S10,000,-
600. In California 500, 900, 600 is owned and
controlled by four men, and another hun
dred million is in the ownership of men
whose individual holdings exceeds $1,000
900. As the property in the State is not as
sesSed at much over thousand millions
about oue-fifth appears to be held by men
who have passed the million point Under
the present law this vast sum may be by
will continued through the next generation
in the hands of about the number of persons
who now Owa it. The law provides for the
distribution of an estate among direct heirs,
if there is more than one, but it appears to
be in the power of a person 10 prevent dis
tribution by willing whatever property they
may possess to one person. A striking ex-
ample of the exercise of this power is the
will of the late Mrs Hopkins-Searles No
lawyer has yetventured an opinion that her
will will not stand. While she lived she had
an undiSputed right TO dispose of property
estimated at S30,000,000 and the right to
continue the ownership of that immense
amount of property in one individual does
not seem 10 be disputed. Mr.. Huntington
does not consider it matter upon which the
public have of right anything TO say. BY
hook or by crook the property had been
amaSsed, the title reposed in one individual,
and the right of that individual to dispose
of it to please herself and surviving part
ners is not considered matter for legal
question. The fact is patent, however, tina:
nearly or quite all OF the thousand millions
in the United States in the hands of few
men has been acquired by means of favor
able and often corrupt legislation. The ac-
QUESTION Of so much money has been made
possible by the enactment of laws for pri-
vate rather than for public good In many
cases the men who expected to be benefited
have procured legislation by the corrupt use
OF money. For years past every session of
Congress and every meeting of State Leg
iSlature has been marked by the gathering
of lobbyists armed with money to be used
in the advancement of the interests of their
employers. The thousand millions we
speak of has largely been gained by bribing
the peoples representatives to vote on cer-
tam bills as they might be directed to vote.
We thus find an element of corruption in
the acquisition of this vast amount of prop
erty. Ii may in most cases have been le-
gally acquired-that is, acquired under the
forms of law-but fraud may be found in the
enactment of the laws. The question the
people have to consider is if property so ac-
quired may be transmitted in bulk from one
generation to another The concentration
of such large sums in so few hands is an
admitted evil Is it an evil for which law
affords no remedy? Must the people who
have been legally robbed by one generation
recognize the right of that generation to in
flict upon succeeding generations the enor-
nous evil of such vast concentration of
property in few hands? A remedy for
this evil will be found. If the adoption of
measures to provide remedy is too long
nut off. the more drastic the measure when
the day comes. There was a time when the
owners of slaves in the South could have
secured compensation for what was in law
their property. They would not listen 10
the proposition; they stood upon their legal
rights, and the result we know.