The Florida star., 1909-07-09

out capital or means Of transportation
and labor was high and unreliable. The
great need was of railroads and increased
population. The national government
had given the state all the swamp and
overflowed lands within its boundaries,
to aid in internal improvements and in
order to induce men who could control
capital to build railroads, prodigal grants
OF the states lands were made to rail-
road corporations. To encourage the
drainage of the Kissimmee valley sew
eral million acres were sold at 25 cents
an acre to Hamilton Diston and conveyed
to corporations organized in this country
and in England to hold the title. A lib
ersl grant has been made to the canal
company which has made continuous
water way along the east coast. Now l
am not quarreling with this policy of get
ting these lands into private ownership
and thus upon the tax books, but the
point is that millions of acres of land are
now held by corporations without any
limitation upon the time they can hold it;
without anything in their charters to
compel them to sell foot of it for cen
turies to come and if efforts were made
to compel them to sell doubtless the
claim of vested rights would be inter-
posed.
1t is a modern innovation to permit
corporations to be organized for the pur
pose of owning land. The old rule was
that corporation could own only so
much real estate as was necessary for
its place of business and if it required
other lands, these must be disposed of
in a reasonable time. But with the
granting of lands to railroads newpol-
icy was inaugurated and large land hold
ing corporations quickly sprang into ex-
istence. The dangers at first were slight
and the benefits obvious. Railroads and
development companies strove to bring
in settlers and sell their lands and the
dangers lurking in land ownership by
corporations were not perceived.
The laws of Florida fix no limitation
to the life of a corporation. 1t may ex-
ist for such time as the incorporators
see fit to fix, even though this be a
thousand years. | have lately seen in
the charters of proposed corporations
provision for their perpetual existence.
Land held by such corporation is clear
ly held in perpetuity. The artificial per-
son styled a corporation does not die in
the traditional three score years and ten
and have its landed estates divided.
We have, then, created and protected by
law means of holding lands in perpe-
tuity-of gaining a practical monopoly
of the soil-of substituting for the land
ed aristocracy of Europe, the wealthy
stockholders and directors of landlord
corporations. With the natural in
crease of population and from immigra-
grafton, the land will enhance and con-
tinue to enhance in value at an accelera-
ting rate. The time will arrive when
colonies can be planted here as tenantry
paying rents to the landlord corporations.
Horticulture will be carried on on a large
scale by wealthy companies which will
compete destructively with the small
producer and when this evil has devel-
oped under legal sanction it will be too
late to cure it by legal means.
But dangers foreseen are easily avert
ed. am naturally an optimist. be-
lieve in the future because believe in
the virtue and good sense of the average
man. tits not too late to apply the prop
er checks and balances. All wealth
comes primarily from the land Equah-
ty of opportunity requires free trade in
land. The removal of all restrictions on
its alienation, forced division of it as
among heirs at stated intervals and re-
striction of the amount that can be held
by any corporation. Legislation giving
acheck to this modern form of perpetuity
can be devised before it has become a
blighting evil. Where altruism is at the
front and seltishness and graft relegated
to the rear, not only economic freedom
but fraternal good will among all citi-
zens will be advanced and it is for us to
bear our part in this achievement that
We may hand on to those who come after
Us, land made better from our having
lived in it,
President Helps Orphans