The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-12-26
Subject: The Message of Christ 20
Capital.

Brooklyn, y. Y.-Speaking at the
Irving Square Presbyterian Church
on the theme. The Message Of Christ
to Capital" the Rev. l. w. Hender-
son pastor. took as his text Matthew
7:12, Therefore, all things whatso-
ever We would that men should do to
YOU, do We even so to 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
4 simple society labor is central. In
i complex society labor Il capital
may with reason be allowed to PCS
cess an almost equal position OF III
portance IN the economic system.
BUT no matter how influential and
how powerful capital may become 1t
can never usurp the central, primal.
fundamental. ultimate position or
labor in the economic affairs OF man.
The economic tendency OF TO-DAY
upon the side of capital is toward
naturalization. toward combination,
toward concentration. With this ten
dency toward GENERALIZATION We have
the spectacle of immense corpora
tons gifted with a chartered power
at the hands of a sovereign people.
And these corporations are engaged,
many OF them, in the exercise OF this
power in e~Ideavors to control the
outlut OF the necessities OF life; di-
rect and govern the markets OF the
world. and dictate prices for the
necessaries CT life without due re-
gard I 0 fairness or to the universal
laws. very largely. of supply and de-
mand. There are good ana there are
evil results 20 ne expected and TO be
found IL the economic trend OF u
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 Gf safety. We sinai nave
TWO different and distinct classes IN
the social life OF our land. The lar
ger is, that, with & society in which
there shall be. in effect, but two
classes OF men, We shall nave q re-
turn, in an economic way, to the uE-
healthy coalitions of the leUdal re-
sime. The danger is that, upon the
one hand, We shall have the en-
ployer, on the other hand, the en-
Dloye; on the one hand, the men Of
money and, on the other, the Sa!arled.
The danger is that, on the one hand.
We shall have q class of independent
wealthy men and, on the other. a
mass of dependent retainers; on the
one hand, tho wealth holders and, on
the other, the wage workers.
The second danger is from cor
porate concentration. BY virtue OF
Governmental e~nactments a CORPORA
ton, though composed OF PERSONAL
ties, is itself an impersoEality before
the law. The sense OF individual re-
sponsibility is lessened and men are
released, b. the law itself, from that
lively sense CT personal duty which IS
incumbent and felt upon the part OF
the individual MAJ with a personal
relation TO the law and to trade. Men
become the engineers Of a huge
mechanism. Humanity is lost il the
machinery CO commercial life.
Another danger CT the economic
tendency on the part of capital to-day
is that, by virtue OF its immense pow
ers, it shall grow up as a State within
q State. With the nur2Derless and
increasing Tamifcations and alliances
of our large" corporations there has
grown up an alarming situation.
Take, for instance, the most noted
corporation in the laad. However
valuable the public services Of this
corporation may have been; hoTev"H
important its contributions to soci-
ETY., as a leader in the marck Of trade,
may be admitted to be; however
much We MAJ praise it for the many
eXcellercics which it possesses, we
cannot escane the fact that it stands
to-day, as do many other corpora
tions, as q danger to the public WEI
fare and as q possible enemy to the
common veal. The ra~mificatibns, tie
business alliances, the political coali-
tons Of this one corporation are so
diverse, SO Nation wide, so StuUen-
dous as to be almost past belief. All
this is wise from the standpoint OF 4
pure commercial life. There iSnoihing
inherently wrong in SUCH Z condition
Of affairs ii the c~orreiative powe:
which it brings be exercised with an
eye single toward the light Of right
But if ever this enormous
influence and capacity for good or for
i'll should become vested in the hands
of unScrupulous men the danger to
our civil liberty would be very real.
If, in the course of time, the power
of such corporations should become
the property of unjust and ungodly
men, whose creed should be selfish
ness and whose commercial aim
should be directed toward the salts
faction OF unbridled self-interest, i'm
mediate and intense ~iniquity would,
Of sequence. result. The danger to
these American people lies not in the
strength OF military force; not in an
unselfish imoerialism which strives
for the am3lioration Of the peoples
of the islands of the sea; bat in the
unholy use OF dishonest power by i'm
moral and constituencies 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'll the lists against tie Governmental
authority.
1t does not necessarily follow,
whatever may DC cur fears, that COM
binatiOn per Sc is evil. Combination
is 4 natural and a logical result OF
the conditions under which we live.
Anything. whatever its name, which
liShtens lab0", enlargcs efficiency, and
increases the impetus of commercial!
life, is Of value to humanity at large.
lm~Dcrsonality before the law is not
in itself an unmitigated evil if so he
the men Who lana~n cNrncratiQnS do