Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-23
Blind Fury Against Corporations.

day at the Ottawa Chautauqua dealing WITH
corporations.
Blind Fury Against Corporations.
Judge Grosscup spoke of the great growth
OF corporations since the civil war. declared
that ownership of the country's Industrial
properties should be restored to the people.
and as step In this direction favored
state as well az congressional action lie
SAID that out of recent revelations of tho
manner OF conducting certain corporations
there had come a spirit of indiscrimlnata
distrust, spirit OF criticism ''n too many
places blind fury. that continues still to
envelop our judgment as fog blinds the
eyes to Intelligent study of some great
building" The first thing TO do he said,
IN the move TO restore to the people their
rights, was to dispel this fog. to see things
In their right place and proportions.
"A constant duty. of course" said he, "is
to see TO IT that the particular corporations
that are breaking the law be made TO obey
the law. To the full extent that the
ional administration, sincerely and inteli-
gently, Is pursuing this duty public opin-
ion viii remain behind It, But II the adj
ministration and the republican leaders
think that the disease will be reached ana
eradicated solely through continuous cam-
pafgns against this or that incorporated en-
terprise, as II the corporation in itself as
the embodiment of modern enterprise were
some alien enemy entirely dissent from
them. When Mr.. Bryan denounces the par
ticular corporations that by discrimina ton
and favoritism succeed in suppressing COM
petition, or that Unjustly Cypress the public
! agree with him. Every species OF device
that puts IT within the power OF an outside
party to choose which of two or more COM
petitors shall succeed and which shall fail
is crime against that first principle OK
American business life-equality of oppor-
tunity. But when Mr. Bryan, as the all
dty oh of
party, sees no further than this-when ho
confuses what under a Just corporate
policy corporate enterprise could become
with particular corporations that have
abused their opportunities, / dissent again.
Incorporation Not a Sin.
Judge Grosscup said that the incorpora-
ton of enterprise is not Itself sin. True
competition in many cases had been UNI
Justly suppressed and in many lines almost
destroyed, but the chief cause was in tho
fact that under our present corporation policy
the people at large, though they have
abundant means, have no reasonable secure
corporate way offered to them to raise up
competitors" he said, lis not indiscrimi-
nately to denounce the corporation. The
thing to do Is to raise up competition. is to
rehabilitate the corporation, to purify lie
to restore to ii character and responsibility,
that the people may come back into the
ownership of the country's Industrial prop
critics. For until that is done, all oppor-
tunity for new or competitive enterprise
will be in the hands of those who already
have a monopoly of the field"
1.-THE message that / have come TO- de-
liver said Judge Grosscup in closing. rs
to urge the people OF this state to take the
lead in giving to the new industrial life of
the Union an embodiment that, instead OF
losing sight of, viii again lift up 10 his
rightfu place in his country's prosperity
the individual man."