Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-11-09
GssrS County 4(rrala.
FRIpAY. NOVEMBER Q. 1900.
Aggreg cation.

N'lt. 'hlS' i''i''NS w - mus - 4
suggests train of thought that 1T may /
not Ice Improbable to indulge in. In
the first place towns aud all political
systems of government. the purpose oil |
which is to regulate the conduct of the
inhabitants OF Il political division and to
secure the individual rights of each,
should not in their operation deviate |
from the original purposes OF their
creation. Indeed they cannot be run
on other lines without doing manifest
Injustice to some; and it is not then "A
question of majority, nor whether the
scheme into which the political division
or organization is to he run will or will
not turn out to he profitable. When
towns were organized the members
agreed to the organization for certain
purposes and no member agreed that it
could he used for any purpose other
than those contemplated 10y the com
pact. There exists no right to Use
town in a money making scheme simply
because it promises to be successful any
more than it is honest in the bank de
fauter TO use the funds OF Il bank in a
speculation which fails through no
faulty management of his except i'll the
ENLIGHTENMENT of the bank funds.
The opening wedge that started
towns from their moorings was allowing
towns to bond in aid Of railroads. In
some conditions the building of Il rail
road might be benefit to one portion
of town and great detriment to an
other portion of it. Now it would be a
great injustice for the majority who are
to be benefited to take the property on
credit of even the minority and Use 1t to
the detriment of tine latter This Is
squarcly in violation of the original ar
rangement that towns should he run
only for specific purposes. No member
of our subordinate political divisions
ever agreed that they should be nsed
for the purpose of conducting private
enterprises. Town and other systems
of government are necessities for GER
tain purposes and carried to certain eX-
81 la
means otherwise for speculation and III
dividual enterprise, TO permit towns to
run hotel or shoe mandatory, as Is
done in many portions of New England,
is one OF the most dangerous departures
from the "landmarks Of the fathers.
This tendency is not only unjust and
dangerous but it is necessarily destruc-
tive of the original purposes of political
organizations. Why could not towns
as well go into the manufacture OF lum'
Der? And it a town can properly run
sawmill is it not proper and for its adj
vantage to own large tracts OF land that
can be bought cheaply, and to do any
beneficial thing that it has opportunity
to do? SO there is no limit to the ap
parent tendencies of the times.
Corporations are great benefit tt
everybody within reach of their intiu
ence, and when conducted in certain di
rections because one man grows rlci
from them that does not prove that the,
are not benefit generally. 1t simpl,
shows that they are Of more benefit tt
one or few than to many. If men cal
produce more in an aggregate capacit,
than by working simply then the who'll
are benefited 10y the aggregation o
skill and capital. But when men pre-
tend to run such aggregations alonl
fair and legitimate lines and really us
them as instruments OF fraud and OF
preston they become more destructlv
of the public good than anything els
conceivable because the public canno
guard against such concealed designs
When public funds are taken to carr
on private enterprises it can be nothin
less than a misrepresentation of publ
property.
All this grows out of desire fo
present possession and use Of all an
everything that can be made availabl
for present use. And not content wit
that there is growing tendency to &C
into debt, not only individually, but t
run public institutions in debt for ell
terprises in which individuals are MOI
or less interested. The proposition t
run the state in debt ten millions t
build highways is i'll perfect keepin
with the times. The immensely of tn
project may make it so manitestly ridi
ulous as to deter men from its adoptio
or prosecution.
There are growing individual d
sires to run some thing or some body
and man in these times who has not
society or corporation to run is as ba
off as u man without country. The
are rum ostensibly for the public goo
and in the interest of morality and I
ligion. Men look upon Rockefell'
through various sentiments. Some wit
fellow feelings of admiration, othe
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