Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1906-05-19
JUDGE eRosscUP ON CORPORA
TiONS.


the thing we call the corporation. The
corporation itself has no sin. Being
but the elaboration of that first incof-
poration formed by two men stalking
their combined wealth for a common
cause, it is the potential agency not
only for converging the strength of
many men to a common purpose, but
also of preserving to the individual
his share and pride in the development
of his country's industries and power.
Why have we been legislating against
the so-called trusts for fourteen years
without destroying a single trust? Why
have we been issuing injunctions
against them without falling a single
man for violating the injunctions?
This cutlery has not arisen because
the corporation is wrong, any more
than the factory or railroad or any
other Improvement of modern life over
it's primitive predecessor is wrong. The
wrong is in the public policy of state
and national government that has per-
mitted the corporation to become the
exclusive right of a few people. II
when the transformation was taking
place by which individual shopkeepers
were giving place to the great con-
Germs there had been carried with it
the proprietorship and cooperation of
the men whose places were taken nei-
Their cutlery nor cause for it would eX-
list. Such was not the case, and for a
very good reason.
We took care that our public lands
should become the property of the peo-
pie. In 1910 we began to legislate in
such way that no great estate in
lands exist. We have a mighty agri-
cultural people, the backbone of our
whole western country. upon whom we
can rely in any possible emergency of
the nation.
They form the bulwark of our Re-
publican institutions.
Now, if the corporate domain, if
these great corporate properties could
have been distributed thus in proprie-
torship among the people of America
as the farming domain was, the prob
lem that presses us with such anxiety
every day would have no existence.
But it was left lawless region, as
lawless as were the frontier towns be-
fore a United States marshal was put
in charge. Any man from the begin
ming could do in this domain just as
he pleased. Actually, five men can sit
around table, put 81 in the center,
organize a corporation calling for a
million dollars worth of capital, re-
pocket the dollar and go home after
sending a certificate of incorporation
to the secretary of state with million
dollar enterprise ready to launch
Why, twenty-five years ago man
bought up the street car lines of Chi
cago, saying he was going to improve
transportation facilities. He was
hailed as a great municipal benefactor
His corporation seemed so honestly or
ganized and managed that five thou
sand to ten thousand people took stock
But it didn't take long to see that, in
stead of taking the income TO improve
the road, he thought he could get bet
ter results by going into Lasalle street
the Wall street of Chicago. BY letting
the road run down and paying high
dividends he raised the stock to sew
eral times what he paid for it, ant
then sold out. The stockholders are
now in my court administering the af
fairs of the road.
Corporations have got into the sus
pect class. They must be got bacl
into the transformation state again
back to a sharing in them by the in
dividual man. The citizenship of the