The Butler weekly times., 1897-11-18

AZ pO"Ci W mh6bhf VIGIL oAASco-
And the tendency is also for those
out of power-the masses-to grow
careless and Indifferent The natur-
al result from the working together
of these tendencies is for power, and
with it wealth, it's mainstay, to slip
from the possession of the many and
to concentrate in the hands of the
few.
Some haye deplored the tyranny
of majorities, but the historian OF
fallen republics must write of the
usurpations and expressions OF
minorisies Majorities may bear too
hard upon min rites; but when
miuori,ies rule the majority invaria
bly, suff-r
When we ref7c. that f-w thou
sand persons possess more than half
of all the wealth Of a mighty nation
of 100000 of people, nhHb!ung u
vast territory of wondrous es 3urces
it need no. be argued that some
| thing is wrong The founde of
our republic never plaunei Il gov
ernment of few dangerously rich
aud many dangerously poor. Well
they knew that, in the inevita BILE
clash of these two dangerous classes
the republics Of ether days We're de-
stroyed.
Then, either the fouadsrs did not
provide III their scheme Of govern.
ment against the tendencies and
means of bringing these antagonls
tic classes into eXlsteLc3 and carry
ing them on TIL the final catastrophe
or we of the present and the recent
past have fail 4 il our high duty ol
properly employing the powers OF
our government for the welfare Of
the people
Let us take hasty glance at sons
, of the Observation-Disclosures active ia the
evolution Of the few millionaires, the
many raupers and the still more
numerous class which daily wage {
a doubtful contest upon the border
land between comparative comfort
and pressing want
In the early days of the republic
corporations were few; now they art
numbered by hundreds of thou
sands There has been reckless
D ness in their creation that is almos
} astounding; and every one of them
! no matter how insignificant, has il
9 it some element of SOW reignty, de
= rived from the governmental store
: the peoples property. While man
have been created for high purpose
= of greatest Importance. many other
D have been brought into being wit
8 purposes purely selfish or positivel
: bad With the creation of eac
t something of power departed fror
the many and centered in the few.
|, Against these corporations. e,
0 empt from human disease and acc
). dent and secure against untimel
death, mortal men, men of flesh an
:. blood. of hopes, affections, fear
t have to contend.
Worse, still, corporation combine
Q with corporation; Leviathan is ha.
It messed with Leviathan; monste
Q trusts roll the Juggernaut of mt
q nopoly over thousands of men, WI
men aud children
Corporations have long had til
footing of individual men in tt
70 law, and before the courts Wit
10 their extravagant multiplication
Q recsnt years the ancient error {
e treating these beings of mans ere
l, ton (too often the bad offspring {
. very unwise exercise of creati,
II energy as the equals before the la
q of Gods own creature, man, hs
J. wrought world of hardship an
J. wrong.
t. Communities have been despoile
IS and unborn millions cruelty burde
n ed through the wrongful applicable
1t of the law concerning "commerci
IS paper" and the"rights"of ''innocen
n holders of avalanches OF swindiit
le railroad aid bonds and other like d