New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-05
CORPORATE ANARCHY.

Property and industry are the foremost oppo-
nentS OF anarchSm. That is obvious as to be
0ellnigh axiom. The man who is too lazy
20 work or too shftless 10 save may be inclined
toward that barbarism in which he would be
free to despoil his neighbours goods lie has
little 10 hope from the law and little to fear
from lack Of IT, The man who works and saves
and owns something, however gives hostages to
Jaw and order He has something at stake
The whole purpose of his life. materially speak
mg, is conditioned upon the maintenance Of law.
and would BE meDaced and probably destroyed
by anarchy. Not only in theory but in actual
2ractico II IS therefore incumbent upon every IN
dustrialist whether he be a wage Garner with
millions Of money or a capitalist with n strong
hand and braWny arm. to defend law and TO
maintain order, and ne who does otherwise
sither by omission or by commission. directs the
neadEest of blows against his own personal vel
fare. And since it has come 10 pass in the natu-
raj evolution Of society and Of industry that
much property is held and much business trans
acted by those unions or associations Of indi-
vldualS which we call corporations 1t has also
come 10 pass that these latter are supposed 10 be
chief among the bulwarks Of law and order. and
are assuredly the objects against which the ad-
vocatcS Of anarchism and socialism direct their
most savage attacks.
We see to-day, however, the amazing and re-
voting spectacle of industrial corporations defv-
Ing law. violating order and practising anar-
chsm. That is precisely what the promoters Of
trolley lines in Westminster County did last
week. II does not matter that they acted under
a nominal pretcxt Of legality nor that their do
ings were supervised and guarded tr nomina
officers of the law. They were in spirit II not in
letter-and we are not at all sure they were not
In r-lawbreakers. They themselves showed
this 10y the very time and manner Of their opera
tons If their work had been honest and law
abiding ii could and should have been done
peacefully in open daylight Instead it was
done AT night. with menace Of violence and muir
der 10 any who should interfere In that it pro-
claimed itself as being done in defiance, or at
least in evasion. Of the law. On the face of II
the doors Of the deed appear 10 say: 1--WE know
"we have no right 10 do this; but we have the
"might, in the form Of bludgeons and reyolvers
"and so we're going 10 do it," Or. If we accept
their most plausible explanations, they say in
substance: 1--WE have no certain legal authority
"to do this. but neither are we specifically EN-
coined from doing II, and no such injunction
"can be issued before morning; so we're going
'to do IL and take the chances of legal approval
cor disapproval'
We need not, however. speculate upon their
motives They are obvious to all men. These
men saw that they had chance TO do by
stealth or violence, at midnight, what they could
not or might not do openly and quietly by day
light and they did IT, trusting TO the apathy or
lcnience or despair Of the public to let the ac-
cOmplished fact remain. In that monstrOus
theory they ought TO find themselves mistaken.
The Court has declared them trespassers upon
the property Of the public Then they should be
expelled aud required to repair the damage done
by their Illegal trespass. That is 10 saw their
trolley tracks should be torn up and they-f
among them be any responsible men-be com
PEELED al their own cost 10 rebuild the road they
have ruined II is intolerable that they should
be permitted to remain as trespassers while ap-
peal after appeal wends II slow way through
the mazes Of the courts. citizen does not har.
Dor trespassing tramp In his parlor for months
while the question Of his trespass is considered
by lawyers and judges. He puts him out or gets
policeman TO put him out II such summary