The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-02-23


a chartered corporation. The stock
may blossom with generation after
generation of buyers and sellers
they may die-they may transfer
they may get rich or become poor
they may be virtuous or villainous-
still the body corporation lives on.
It's charter protects its life. And the
legal and even military power of the
land may be invoked in it's defence.
And herein lies our real danger
immense, consolidated aggregations
of property in corporations and com
panies. If CO partnerships and cor
porations were prohibited, if business
interests were no larger than one
man could own and master, we should
not rush on SO rapidly, but more
safely. And by the law of non
entailment death would segregate the
estate. The tree would be dismantled
and less richer people gather the
fruit.
But under the accumulative power
ofincorporation what do we now see?
Railroad after railroad is welded to-
gether. Competing line after line is
swallowed up, till no country in the
world has such mammoth and mag
n6cent systems of ra ways as the
United States. More than fifteen of
them are each above 1000 miles in
length. More than thirteen are each
above 5000 miles in length.
Ten of them are each more than
1000 miles in length. Eight of the
systems are more than 5000 miles
each in length. Seven of them are
more than 5000 miles in length.
Five of them more than 1000 miles.
Four of them more than 5000 miles.
And one system, the Santa Fe, is
more than 5000 miles in length,
well to half way around the globel
Sixteen companies between Albany
and Buffalo are consolidated into
the New York Central. In France
forty-eight companies have been re-
duced to six. And in England, sew
eral hundred totwelve. The railway
prophet, Charles Francis Adams, de-
clares that not long hence the Amer
can system will average 10000 miles
each under one management. And
| consider the legal possibilities in
yolved in this power of indefinite in
corporation and expansion the worst
menace which overshadows the Re
public. Herein is where the demon
of monopoly hides himself Like a
rat in cheese, he will devour and breed
and nest and swarm, till the shell of
the Federal Union is ready to burst and
collapse. Because-tEe schemes and
intrigues for consolidation and mo-
nopoly do not affect the nations rail
ways merely, but the nations com
merce and production in all respects.
Every vital organ, industry, art and
institution of our civilization is affect
ed by the common virus. A new evil
has been born. A new black plague
ravishes the land. A new hideous
bird of prey, a financial vulture
hovers in the air, waiting for the
slsin-for our beautiful men and
maidens, for widows and babes. We
are cursed with relentless, remorse-
less, overshadowing aristocracy oil
money.
Counteraeting Forces.
And now what is the rebuttal? the
counteracting forest As knowledge
without morality cannot preserve civ.
ilization, but rather accelerates its
decay, so great riches without moral
ity cannot save civilization. But as
a young rake gets to ruin faster by
reason of his money, so a wealthy
nation will come to destruction the
quicker because it is rich. Morality
is the bulwark of civilization. Nor.
atty is the counteracting power
against the corruptions and monopo.
lies of great riches. Instead of in
curing what is law, in all cases we
must also inquire what is right.
And now we are again abreast Of
the question,-Will the Christian Re-
ligion save the Republici = save
American civilization The rebuttal
of moneyed aristocracy and of finan-
cial monopoly, makes itself practical
by organizing a counter monopoly,
to wit: The monopoly of labor which
creates the wealth. Hence the null
tiplicity of guilds. orders, unions, as
sociations, brotherhoods, sisterhoods,
leagues and fraternities. And while
missionaries and monopolies thrive by
legal rights, and hunt or cut their way
through legal rights, to success the
unions and fraternities seek first of all
,-sc.kka Ill 4