The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-11-13
The CORPORATION,

irresponsible corporation has been exem-
pli6ed in the last presidential campaign
as never before. The uncurbed artificial
person, which corporation is, is a thing
of peril and ever present abuse of
unchecked power, eXerted against the
citizen, and becomes a menace to the
government itself.
The corporation speedily grows into a
monopoly, the monopoly becomes part
of the trust and the trust aims to be a
controlling political power. The only
method heretofore known and practiced
by corportion, monopoly and trust to
exert influence in politics, has been cor
ruption by bribery to which is now added
intimidation of employees. The criminal
use of money in influencing elections and
legislation has debauched our politics till
they are universally condemned as rotten,
and no honest, self respecting man is
thought by the public to exist, among
active politicians.
These abuses have all grown out of the
neglect of the law making power to keep
a hand on the artificial person it creates,
known as the corporation. Every cor
poration chartered by the State should be
compelled to render strict account to
the State of all its proceedings; an item
lied, published statement of its opera
tons, every month or quarter. Such a
requirement is, or would be, claimed by
the beneficiaries of these artificial persons
to be interfering with private business.
This is a false view. The affairs of cor
poration are not the same as the business
or family affairs of the individual citizen.
The former is all artificial person, ere
ated by the State, which is to say the
public. The latter is a natural person
for whose welfare government is ordained
The artificial person has nobody to be
punished, it has no moral part to be i'll
huenced by a sense of Justice 1t is simply
a force to be directed by human intelli-
sence which holds itself not responsible
for the acts of the corporation. This ar
tihcial person becomes dangerous rival
of the citizen i'll every line of industry, a
colossal power which competes with the
citizen, many times his equal i'll all that
constitutes force. 1t drives him to the
wall by methods he is not permitted or is
unable to employ.
The bene6ciaries of this corporate power
are invested by government with special
privileges which enable them 10 appro-
pirate til themselves the gains which
accrue to this concentrated power that it
is enabled to wrest from the individual
that is forced to compete with it. This
corporate or artificial person that IS ere
ated by the State and placed in competi-
ton with the natural person is an enemy
to the people inasnuch as the law permits
a select few wealthy persons, or an aggre-
CATION of persons to pool their wealth and
use this force without restraint by the
creator to drive to the wall its natural
rival and finally to form a monopoly in
which few persons become the virtual
masters of those who are first forced out
of employment and then employed as
servants by the corporation.
The injustice to the citizen is readily
seen when the corporation has usurped
his place and his employment. The cit
izen cannot long remain free if the State
continues to create these artificial persons
and allows them to ride over and trample
down at will the natural person:
No force should be organized by the
State, and handed over to a select few to
use at will for their personal aggrandize-
rent, at the expense and injury of the
entire community, which is the case to-
day with every corporation in the land
When the State creates corporation it
should control that artificial person and
guard its citizens from the injuries and
spoliation the corporation monopoly con-
stantly imposes upon them.
Every detail of the corporation should
be regulated by law and strictly supervised
| 49, l,o Of of
should be fixed at the maximum and its
earnings above fair compensation on its
actual capital prescribed in the charter,
and not one share of watered stock allow
ed to be issued. An itenized statement
of its business should be published and all
its transactions placed under strict super
vision of the government that created it.
The benefciares of these monopolies will
cry out against such restrictions as an in
terferance and espionage over private
business. The corporation is not a pri-
vate person or citizen but owes its exist
ence to the will of the State and the State
should hold a most rigid control over ii
because the monopoly is constant NEIL
ace to the rights of the citizen, which is
the first duty of the State to protect and
place above all else, and every other
) consideration.
These overgrowE monopolies are not
only dispoilers Of the people in their in
dividual capacity but a menace to the gov
eminent itself The coal oil trust or
: monopoly, the beef monopoly, the coal
monopoly, the telegraph and great rail
road systems monopolies are cases III
point, as are the street car, gas and cleo
tric monopolies. In short the entire
: lengthy catalogue of artificial persons OF
monopolies created by the State.
Any organized business created by the
State should be held to strict account by
the State. The cheapening of products
: by immense combinations of capital and
labor does not subserve the public welfare
The great combination of capital that
drives men out of employment in order tc
cheaper production is a public injury.
5 Were there twenty coal oil companies il
place of one, the business would be dis
tributed and living employment afforded
very many more persons, who would be
come consumers of the products of others,
and although the oil might be somewhat
higher i'll price the greater distribution OF
wealth would be public benefit. Better
a thousand industrious employees than one
millionaire. And so with all those over
grown monopolies. They should be
divided, split up and the wealth which is
absorbed by few distributed among
many.
The government must be brought TO
consider and provide for the welfare OF
the people by splitting up or breaking up
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