The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-12-14
Subject: The Message of Christ To
Capital.

on the theme, ne Message OF Cnrlst
10 Capital the Rev /. w. Hender-
! son. pastor. took as his text Matthew
: 1:i2, Therefore. all things whatso-
ever ye would that men should do to
you. do ye even So 10 them. He
said
Labor and capital. The great cor
/ related facts of the economic life OF
/ to-day, as throughout all ages they
have been, are labor and capital.
! But though they are correlated. cap
| ital is OF secondary importance. In
\ a simple society labor is central In
a complex society labor and capital
may with reason be allowed 10 pos
| sess an almost equal position OF inn
| portance in the economic system.
| But no matter how influential and
! how powerful capital may become IL
! can never usurp the central, primal.
/ fundamental, ultimate position OF
/ labor in the economic affairs of man.
The economic tendency OF to-day
/ upon the side OF capital is toward
! Capitalization, toward combination,
! toward concentration. With this ten
| dency toward centraliZatiOn we have
/ the spectacle of immense corpora
/ tions gifted with 8 chartered power
! at the hands OF sovereign people.
! And these corporations are engaged,
many OF them, in the exercise OF this
power in c1deavors TO control the
output of the necessities OF life: di
rect and govern the markets OF the
world. and dictate prices for the
| necessaries Of life without due re-
gard 70 fairness or to the universal
laws, very largely, of supply and de-
| mand. There are good and there are
evil results to be expected and TO be
found in the economic trend OF our
day.
The dangers Of this economic ten
denCy so far as capital is concerned
are many fold; and the first danger
is, that in the Capitalization Of wealth
and the increase of capital beyond
the bounds of safety, We shall have
two different and distinct classes in
the social life Of our land. The dan
ger is, that. with a society in which
there shall be, in effect. but two
classes OF men, we shall have re-
turn. in an economic way. to the un-
healthy conditions Of the feudal re-
gime. The danger is that, upon the
one hand, We shall have the en-
ployer, on the other hand, the en-
ploye; on the one hand, the men OF
money and, on the other. the salaried.
The danger is that. on the one hand.
we shall have a class Of independent
wealthy men and, on the other,
mass of dependent retainers; on the
one hand, the wealth holders and, on
the other, the wage workers.
The second danger is from cor
porate concentration. BY virtue of
Governmental enaCtments a corpora
-, 10, "a ,f aa1 i
ties, is itself an impersonality before
the law. The sense of individual re-
sponsibility is lessened and men are
released, by the law itself. from that
lively sense OF personal duty which is
incumbent and felt upon the part of
the individual man with a personal
relation TO the law and TO trade. Men
become the engineers of a huge
mechanism. Humanity is lost in the
machinery Of commercial life.
Another danger of the economic
tendency on the part OF capital to-day
is that, by virtue of its immense pow
ers. it shall grow up as State within
a State. With the numberless and
increasing ramifcations and alliances
Of our larger corporations there has
grown up an alarming situation.
Take, for instance, the most noted
corporation in the land. However
valuable the public services of this
corporation may have been: however
important its contributions to SoCi-
ETY., as leader in the march of trade,
may be admitted 10 be. however
much we may praise il for the many
eXcellencies which il possesses, We
cannot escape the fact that it stands
to-day, as do many other corpora
tions, as danger to the public well
fare and as a possible enemy TO the
common veal. The Tamitications, the
business alliances, the political coali-
tions OF this one corporation are so
diverse, so Nation wide, so stupen-
| dous as TO be almost past belief. All
! this is wise from the standpoint OF a
| pure commercial life. There is nothing
! inherently wrong in such condition
! OF affairs If the correlative power
| which II brings be exercised with an
| eye single toward the light of right
! eousness. But IL ever this enormous
! influence and capacity for good or for
| i'll should become vested in the hands
! OF INSCRIPTIONS men the danger to
our civil liberty would be very real.
| II, I'm the course of time, the power
| OF such corporations should become
| the property of unjust and uhgodly
| men, whose creed should be selfish
| ness and wise commercial aim
| should be directed toward the satis-
! faction of unbridled self-interest. i'm
mediate and intense iuiquity would.
| OF sequence, result. The danger TO
| these American people lies not in the
! strength OF military force; not in an
! unselhsh Imperialism which strives
| for the amelioration of the peoples
| OF the islands OF the sea: but in the
! unholy use OF dishonest power by i'm
! moral and conscienceless men OF
| wealth. Then will be realized the
! prophecy OF the State within the
| State. Then will come the test of
capital. made arrogant with wealth.
I'm the lists against the Governmental
authority.
It does not necessarily follow,
whatever may be our fears. that COM
bination per Sc is evil. Combination
is a natural and logical result OF
| .,,Igfg,ps nnIar which Va live