Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1896-11-19

every corporation is a combination,
and that the whole theory and prac-
tice Of incorporation is to combine
and concentrate wealth and power.
The only legitimate Office of a cor
poration is the performance of some
service not only public in its nature,
but of such magnitude and perman-
ency as to be impracticable Of per-
Torrance by private individuals. To
organize corporations for carrying
on ordinary commercial business or
trade, and thus crush competition,
should be absolutely forbidden by
the constitution. And even the great
enterprises which might properly be
termed public should be permitted to
incorporate only after finding by a
public tribunal that the proposed cor
poration would be public utility,
and the state should exact share of
the earnings Of every such corpora
ton forever, as the price Of the fran
chise, and the state should also have
representation in the directory Of
every such corporation. The state
should have revisory and supervisory
control Of every act Of every corpora
ton in the interest Of the people.
'Not Only should the area of cor
porate activity be reduced to mini
mum limits and corporate activity
within those limits to the watchful
and vigilant supervision of the state
with participation in profits, but also
a heavy tax should be laid by the
states upon annual incomes above a
certain amount, and by wise exer-
else of the taxing power render the
holding of unoccupied lands for the
purpose Of speculation, Improbable.
Wills should be abolished. The OBJ
iect of the constitution should be to
segregrate, restrain, diminish and dis
solve grouped and overgrown power,
to prevent the grouping Of power, to
preserve competition, and thus pre-
serve individual manhood.
"Again the constitution should pro-
tect the people from unjust discriml-
nations by railways. especially by
means of that most incidious and
most powerful Of all corrupting agen-
cies Of the age, the free pass. The
issuance or acceptance Of such by any
person should dlsfranchise him and
render him incapable of holding any
public Office. How any man can sit
in the judgement seat, with his pock-
cts full of railway passes and look
into the anxious eyes and sad, pain
marked faces of wronged and suffer-
ing suitors who appear against the
companies, without his face being
suffused with the hot blush Of shame,
is something / can't understand. The
constitution should make such things
impossible by self-executing provls-
ions, which need not the action Of q
pass-bought Legislature to put them
in force.
"The constitution should provide
that every railway and other corpora
ton should accept its franchise upon
condition of full indemnity to every
member of the public for injury to
person or property. The inhumsn
doctrine of contributory negligence
by which the manned and murdered
employees of railway companies and
their dependent families are turned
away penniless after the loss of life
and limb IN the discharge of perilous
and responsible duties, should be
abolished by the constitution, and
railroad companies should be made
in all such cases insurers of life and
limb.
"For years the friends of justice
struggled for a redemption statute,
and finally got it. The assaults which
have been made upon that statute
show that the principle it contains
will never be free from attack until
imbedded IN the constitution.
"The constitution should, therefore,
provide for this safeguard Of the fire.
side and family.
"As most OF the lawmakers of Kan
sas have professed great solicitude
for the homes of the people, and as
many Of them have been christian
statesmen of q high order, they will
pardon me for citing an ancient au-
thorlty in favor of the redemption Of
lands from judicial sales.
These verses are from the twenty