The Topeka state journal., 1897-02-20


The restraining power of government
must be called into execution and the
government must assert upon every Oc-
casion, the power to protect every citi-
zen in the enjoyment OF equal rights
with every other citizen
have been very much gratified to see
the extent to which the legislatures are
this year going in trying to prosecute
the trusts. The great trouble that some
of the trusts are located in states, where
by controlling the legislatures of those
states. are able to prevent any interfer-
ence with their business, while they
reach out and oppress those living in
other states.
But. my friends. we have made a
good commencement. In Georgia, be-
lieve they have succeeded in passing a
law which has compelled the trusts to
quit doing business. In Texas, 1
believe the law is good, and if we can,
in these states, in which we have con-
troll, build up public sentiment against
the existence of any trust, we will, a t
last, be able to make our influence felt
public sentiment down ON the POto-
mac, and stop nationally what we must
stop in our states and local communi-
ties
Now, I want to say to you that am
not what you would call, or could be
justly called, an enemy to corporations.
/ do not believe that the corporation
should be singled out and denied any
just right or advantage-An that have
insisted upon, and insist upon is that
the corporation created by law, the cor
pora tiOn-a person brought into exist
ence by government should not have
any higher rights than the person whom
God created and placed upon his foot
stool. (Applause.)
In other words, that the works of the
Creator are entitled to at least equal
consideration with the works of mans
hands. A corporation is brought into
existence for a public purpose. No per-
son ever advocated a corporation on law
except upon the theory that the cOrpOr-
alton would be good thing for the
public. You cannot imagine that any
intelligent people would call into exist
ence an agency, fictitious individual.
with the knowledge or the desire that
that agency or individual, when existing,
should be menace to the welfare of
the people themselves; you say you can
not suppose that Then l insist that the
corpora ton that is brought into exist
ence for the benefit of the public should
be made to stay where the government
puts it; that a corporation organized to
conserve the public veal. shall not be
permitted to become a menace to the
public safety, and that in dealing with
this corporation, you should deal with it
upon the same lines that you deal with
a private citizen. 1 will make one ex-
ceptiOn: I believe there is one thing
you can let a citizen do that you ought
not to let corporation do. L am will
ling that the citizen should contribute
to campaign funds, but am not willing
to let a corporation contribute to cam
paign funds. Laughter) I will tell
you why make the difference. A cor
poration is organized for a business pur-
pCSe- "A corporation organized for BUS
mess purposes, has no right to be turn
ed into political purposes. The charter
of a corporation does not say anything
about it being permitted to control the
politics of the community in which it
lives. More than that: If the corpora
tion be a bank, for instance you never
know until all the depositors are paid,
whether the bank has given it's own
money or the depositOrs' money when
it contributes to a campaign fund. In
the case of large corporations, where
-1.k
open market, you do not know who the
stockholders are, and you do not know
what their political notions are, and it
may be that the money of the corpora
ton, the money of the stockholder is
being used in politics to defeat at the
polls the very things which the stock
holder desires.
You take away the contributions
which corpora tions make to campaign
funds, and my friends it will be much
! easier for the people to choose whom
they desire; and more than that, want
to take away the temptation that can be
placed before the elected officer. When
a man is elected to an office, 1 care not
what it is, 1 want him to go into that
office in a position to do his duty as he
sees it. I don't want it so that any
| great corporation can go to him and
say, We contributed the money which
elected you, and now we expect you to
give us chance to make it back out of
the people" or threaten if he dares to
do SO and so, the corpora ton will put
| enough money into his district to see
that he never comes back any more. So
I say 1 would make one exception, and
if 1 had the writing of laws, the first
law that would write would be a law
that would make it unlawful for any
| corporation of any kind to give any
campaign fund to any political party on
any pretext whatever. (Applause.) But
say that, generally speaking, a corpor-
alton ought to be treated just as an in
| dividual is treated.
| Now, one of the things that is laid
against us out west is that we are hos
| tile to the investment of money in the
states We are not. What we are hos
! tile to out here in this western country
is % the inves tment of money and water
at the ratio of sixteen to one,-sixteen of
water to one of money. I don't know
! whether you have had the experience in
| your state that they have had in other
! states or not; but I know there are
| states where a railroad has been built:
where the government appropriated land
| to help build the railroad, and then the
| people along the road bonded themselves
| to help build the road, and after the
! government had given enough land to
build it, and after the people had given
/ nearly enough bonds to build the road,
| again, then they bond the road for
| more than it cost to build il, and issue
stock for a larger amount than the
! bonds. and then expect the people who
| patronize the road to pay rates suffi-
| cient to yield a good interest on the
! bonds, and a good profit the stock
! besides. Now, say that is one of the
| things we complain of. and 1 insist that
| in treating with these people, they ought
( to claim no higher rights then the indi-
| vidual has. and especially should they
not so do, because they have a certain
monopoly which the individual does not
| possess. A railroad is a certain monop-
| oily, and why? Because if you build
| another road between the same points
| you have got to divide the patronage,
and you have got to collect enough tolls
! from the people to keep up both roads
| before you can have two roads. In 9TH
er words,a road can charge almost twice
as much would be sufficient to pay
a reasonable profit on the actual invest
] ment before other road can Afford