The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1895-12-10

gether too complex in their ma
ture for individual enterprise,
and, as society does not think it
safe to manage it's own concerns
there remains nothing for it to
do but to create corporations and
give these concerns into their
keeping. These corporations
are called quari-public; public
because the business entrusted
TO them affects vitality the whole
of society, and private because
it is conducted wholly for pri-
vate gain. But it is not only
these concerns that have been
entrusted in this manner to pri-
vate corporate control. Does a
city or any municipal corporation
need street-car or telephone fac
wilities, or water, or gas supply,
it is not thought fit for itself to
provide these, as giving it too
much and paternal power; but
straightway a franchise is grant
ed to a corporation, and property
condemned therefore, and even
public aid extended, as we have
already seen it done in the build
ing of railroads; the business is,
however, conducted wholly for
the gain of the private corpora
ton. 1t is not strange, where
these corporations thus control
concerns necessary and vital to
the whole community, and where
their franchise gives absolute
monopoly, thus placing the pub
lie at their mercy, that they
should amass enormous wealth"
CARDINAL SOURCES OF THE
GREAT FORTUNES OF TODAY.
1t will be seen then that a vast
majority of the great fortunes
found today r not due to the
, patient industry or intellectual
capacity of man, but rather
!, spring from privileges which
are enjoyed or acquired through
~ inheritance; (2) monopoly in
land; (3) monopoly in money; (4)
monopoly in transportation; %
monopoly in commodities or cor
!, porate control of Industry.
"There may be large fortunes
| not so accumulated, and these
may, in some instances, be ac-
!, quired honestly in legitimate en-
terprise and competition, or they
may, more likely, be the result
!, of privilege and vicious legisla-
: ton. 1t is not claimed that the
privileges here named include
: all evils of law which need cor
rection; others exist and will
grow up, and it is the glory Of
government, as of intelligent
, man, to rid itself of these as
} they arise. But the privileges
here mentioned are the most
grievous, those most generally
recognized, and the ones thai
account for by far the larger
: part of the enormous fortunes
) which concentrate the worlds
possessions in the hands Ct the
few, and thereby deprive society
, of their use and Cypress it by
their power"
} PRIVILEGE THE CREATOR OF
CAPITAL.
In a chapter on 1.-THE Fruits o.
/. Privilege" the Legitimate work
, ing of the injustice due to privil
eye is forced home in a manner
at once startling and unanswer
! able. The farmer, the wage
, laborer, and those actively en-
! gagged in productive work be
come the victims of the few who
hold the earth, the tools of pro
duction, the medium of exchange
o and the facilities of transporta
O ton.
. mot only do these privileges
+ thus Cypress labor in all it's forms
but in another sense, and al
deeply, they affect every memb
er of society as a consumer. Thu
wages or profits of all productive
labor are determined by two con
ditions: First, the actual none,
wages or returns received; an,