The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-09-16


guilty of a serious felony. (Applause)-
No fines, no judicial rebukes, no de-
nunciatiOn from platforms, no legisla-
tive enactmentS declaring things are
reprehensible Will touch the subject, but
a specific enactment that a special rate
granted to anyone not enjoyed by the
others IS felony, and proper means to
punish IL Will do something towards
checking it, and my friends. this is not
my inc0nsiderate statement; il is a
crime OF the first magnitude. The pub
lie official in the control OF any great
public franchise who gives to one man
opportunities at the expense Of the 9TH
er, rObS that other party If not of the
property in his possession, of the op-
portunity to acquire property. Gap
plause)-
Now, with statute authorizing and
making it the right of every shipper, of
every person using public franchise
to have disclosed to him at any time
every contract and agreement made
with any other person you will md
there viii be little difficulty about
avoiding the enforcement OF the penal
statute, for it will not be transSressed-
We want a simple statute of publicity.
and believe that viii check the special
we do not object to the principle Of CO.
operation Corporate exist ence is the nat
ural evolution of the partnership, II is a
scheme by which men, strangers to each
partnership was a scheme limited TO men
who knew each other and were compelled
TO work tOgether But the management
of corporations have been the blacklist
page in all our history (Applause-)
And the public Indignation unfortunate
" which ought to be expended upon the
corporate r1anagement Which is respOn-
siole for this shame. has too often been
corD0rati6ns themselves Who have been
the victims OF that infamy. Ny sugges-
tons as q remedy for all this WrOng-and
il IS a chapter which is perhaps the black
est 1 have said in our history, this
whole question of corporate management
you have only got to look back TO the
tory OF the panic OF 1888 ana the cOrpOr-
ate management that preceded that panic
and YOU ind corporations were wrecked
and looted by those 10 whose hands they
were entrusted. their treasures empty,
worthless property sold TO them that were
but small and thin disguise of truth. They
were injured, robbed and outraged until
deprived of property and credit and then
sent over the preclplce OF insolvency IN q
G0IaId 50 T95L siise that their 1a was
Now all the history Of infamy and of
wrong and OF perhdy has not brought one
hour OF shame or humiliation To those
who have perpetrated it. They are walk
ing the streets today. their heads high in
the world OF finance
Mr.. Gompers spoke today about COM
made against the courts for interfering
Injunction. Ladies and gentlemen. I viii
say this, it has always been to me
source of profound regret that the courts
show so much ingenuity in devising in
functions to prevent CORPORATIONS from
being disturbed by their employees They
have not shown one-half that ingenuity
in devising methods to prevent their be-
ing robbed by their directors.
To all this my friends, the remedy.
would modify, but slightly if at all, the
species of fraud impossible.
No corporation has a right to secrecy
in the discharge of its duties. No corpOr-
alton anxious to perform honest services
TO the public and its stockholders Will
seek secrecy or Will insist upon It Re
by corporate measure against the public
any more than il is against their own
stockholders
Ladies and gentlemen, we have but to
stockholder shall have me right TO ex-
anime the books Of a company and know
everything about its concerns. although
he owns but one share. If they find it too
OnerOuS to allow the owner of one share
of 800 to examine their books at leisure.
then let them raise their shares to q
thousand or ten thousand or fifty thOus-
holder be entitled to examine the books.
Ny friends, these are my suggestions:
prohibition under penalties for special IA
vors; right of action against any cOrpOr-
an absolute defense proved that ii was at
all times ready to discuss with its en-
by agencies of their selection
am told. however, that If We promote
TINS co-operaU on We VIII destroy lndlVid-
Ualism. Individualism is another of the
phrases which have been specially invent
dividualism in its last analysis, is savage
ry me savage depending on hinseIt
club from the tree or the stone picked
up by his una1Qe0 hand from the ground
for his weapon, is the most complete in
stance of individualism conceivable Civ
ilized men depends upon everybody else
The object Of savagery is to get a weap-
protection of the individual and the CO.
operation of men All men are engaged
in civilized life in a great scheme Of CO.
operation in which the activity of every
the rest we are told today that this
closer cooperation would bring around
II the greater deFelopment OF mai 5 NOR
atty and genius brings him far. he
as he would for his own, and We have
just the same impetus for industry we
me, for my friends. believe that we are
all bound together by one common tie in
nership- Can YOU or I do one thing Tor
the benefit of himself without beneftiug
itself, can pride indulge IrseIf2 Can APP
petite satisfy itself without paying a
man seeks to build a palace in order TO
give expression TO his pride and satIsfac-
SiIarfSr ~ the e-ISbe2 The woman Mo
buys a new robe to crafty her vanity
must give employment TO hundreds of her |
fellow creatures throughout the world
sOrdid motives seeks to raise the rate of
interest from Ave per cent to six per cent
must serve his fellows in doing it, There ]
~ bis cTiTi and maj is 10 in- s ~ 10
productivity If he is engaged in making
tables he must make more tables: if he
is engaged in agriculture he must increase
the area of tillage and in doing that he
must employ more labor and he must dis
distribute tens of dollars for every one
that he turns into his pocket Our pat
fence, our vanities. our hopes. our ambi-
lions. are but the delUsiOls which bind {
Us to the car of human progress. ma king /
each one of US discharge some tribute |
which owe to all humanity Gap
plauseD If I were asked 10 define the (
economic effect of humanity. that which !
makes this civilization. christian civil
4 l.
tuition of free labor for slavery. The 4
change from free Ia Dor to slave Ia Dor I
has worked an extraordinary change /
this world. The removal of 1
from the hand of man has Won !
derfu1Iy increased its productivity; it has 1
wonderfully extended the scope of his 4
powers multiplied his possessions. length /