People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-07-18
LISTENT0 THE COURT.
JUSTICE BROWNS ADDRESS.
Delivered to the Law Graduates Of
Yale ColIege-He Talks of the
Dangers of This Nation.


States supreme court, who shocked
the country with his dissenting Opin-
ion in the income tax case a few weeks
ago. This college address was on the
same subject, though more extended.
Justice Brown traced social and mer-
camille development in the century.
Then he dealt with municipal COrrup-
tion, corporate greed, and touched On
the labor question. He said:
while the signs Of the material de-
velOpment and prosperity Of the cOun-
try were never more suspicious than
at the present, it is not to be denied
that the tendencies of the past thirty
years have produced a state of social
unrest which auguTS i'll for its future
tranquility. The processes Of cOmbi-
nation have resulted not only in put
q ting practically the entire manufactu-
\ ring industry of the country in the
hands of corporations, but have en-
abled the latter to put an end to COM
petition among themselves by the
creation Of trusts to mOnopOlize the
production of a particular article.
Upon the other hand, labor, taking
its cue from capital, though more
slowly because less intelligent and
alert to its own interests, is gradually
consolidating its various trade unions,
with the ayCwed object Of debating
the terms upon which the productive
and transportation industry of the
country shall be 'lrried on. The recon
Citation Of this strife, if reconciliation
is possible, is the great social problem
which will confront you as you enter
upon the stage Of professional life.
"While feel assured that the So
cial disquietude does not point to the
destruction of private property, it is
not improbable that it will result 10
the gradual enlargement of the func.
tiOns Of government and to the ulti-
mate control of natural monOpolieS.
If the government may be safely en-
trusted with the transmission of our
letters and papers, | see no reason
why it may not also with our tele-
grams and parcels, as is almost uni
VerSally the case in England, or with
our passengers and freight, a state
ownership of railways, as in Germany,
France, Austria, Sweden and Norway.
If the state owns its highways, why
may it not also own its railways? If
municipality owns its streets AMI
keeps them paved, severed and
cleansed, why may il not also light
them, water them and transport its
citizens over them?
"Such at least is the tendency Of
modern civilization in nearly every
highly civilized state but our own,
whose great corporate interests, by
parading the bugbears Of 'paternalisln'
and socialism, have succeeded in Sc
curing franchises which properly be-
long to the public. The fear, too, that
these mOnOpOlieS might be used for
political purposes has hitherto proved
an iDSuperable objection to their exer-
else by the state, but the development
Of civil service reform has Of late been
so rapid and satisfactory that its in-
PRODUCTION into this new field of USE
fitness would follow as a matter of
course, and would obviate the most
formidable difficulty in the way of the
proposed change.
universal suffrage, which it was
supposed would inure to the benefit of
the poor man is so skillfully manip-
ulated as to rivet his chains and to
secure 10 the rich a predominance in
politics never enjoyed under a restric-
ted system. Probably in no country
in the world is the influence of wealth
more potent than in this, and in no
period Of our history has it been more
powerful than now. So far as such in
fuence is based upon superior intelli-
gence and exerted for the public good,
it is doubtless legitimate; so far as it
IS used to secure to wealth exceptional
privileges, to trample upon the rights
of the public, to Stifle free discussion.
or to purchase public opinion by a sub
Sidy of the press, it invites measures
of retaliation which can scarcely fail
to be disastrous.
After referring to the manner in
which corporate powers are secured
and used for dishonest purposes, Jus,
tice Brown said.
Worse than this, however, is the
combination of corporations in So
called trusts to limit production, stifie
competition and monOpOlize the neces-
stiles of life. The extent to which it
may hereafter be carried is revolution
AIRY. Indeed the evils of aggregated
wealth are nowhere seen in more obi
Gus forms. If no student can light
his lamn without navinor +r;hn+o 90