The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-08
CORPORATIONS.

The Constitutional Committee on Cor
porations has granted the request OF
number OF business men of Richmond 20
give a hearing 20 business men ei tie
State on tie Corporation article hereto
fore adopted by the committee tues
day, December 18th, is the date liked Tor
The hearing and it is TO be hoped that
representative men from all parts OF the
State will be present to make their views
known to the committee.
y Nobody denies that corporations are
eecessary TO carry or the great enter
p:fses o, this age, and if we should TO-
assabolish corporations the business OF
the country would be completely para
lived. Some people seem to nave 'he
idea that a corporation is sort OIL IN
dividuai monstrosity, and it has become
The habit OF such people to associate
corporations only with nillicnaires In
point of fact the corporations OF TINS
country are composed Of large numbers
OF individuals, many of the stockholders
being men and women of small means.
a corporation is simply the instrument
tality through. which the money of q
number of individuals is brought togeth-
e. and combined for a given purpose.
What ons man is unable to do when act
ing alone q number of men when acting
together can do Organization IS the
great underlying principle of civilization.
A CITY is a corporation. the individual citi-
zens being the stockholders. The citizens
-,
of a community, rich and poor, JOIN
hands and make 4. strong combination
Tor the benefit of all. And so the city
IS thus enabled to have paved streets and
water-works and Gas-woris and cleo
tric-light plants and public parks
and other convtniences, which are
necessary 10 The comfort and hap
pinoss of the people. An so on large
scale is a State: and sc on a still larger
scale is the Union Of States by which
we have one OF tho greatest and most
powerful nations on earth. 1t is this sort
of organization that differentiates mod
ern civilization from barbarisn.
The great development Of this age, as
everybody knows. is the direct outcome
of organization. The railroads of the
County, t:ia g,.sa: factories, the great
mercantile establishments. AID indeed
all our great commercial and industrial
institutions, not 10 speak of our noble
institutions of learning, have all been
built by organized capital.
But in addition to the giant corpora
tions of the land are numerous small cor
porations which are doing their part, and
a considerable part, in tac development OF
the age A man with force and indus
try, but without money, has an indus
trial plan in mind and he presents it TO
a number Of men each of whom is will
ing to invest a sum of money IN the en-
terprise. his risk being limited 20 the
sum of his own holdings. The necessary
money is thus raised by combination
when no one Of the individuals would be
willing to undertake it alone. And thus
a new factory. or a street-car line or
some enterprise which gives employment
and helps to build up the community is
brought into being. These little ccr-
norat,ons are berg organized every day
in Virginia and other Southern States.
and it would be suicidal to throw OBJ
stacles in tllei- way Let the impression
&C abroad that the laws OF Virginia, end
especially the organic law, are opposed
20 corporations ana hostile to capital, =
as the common saying Is. ana 10 one
thing that The State could do would be
more l,,irtful to her development
In the interest of Virginia, we do sin
ccrciy hope that this Constitutional Con-
vcation vii! do nothing to restrain trade
or retard progress.