Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-02-07

timber hogs, like the Weyerhausers
1t was also suggested at the same time
that this legislature take the steps nee
essary to safeguard this water power
and keep it for the benefit of genera
tions yet unborn.
OF course, the legislature will do
nothing of the kind A few days ago.
in the senate this subject Of water
power occupied the attention of the
lawmakers for some hours. No effort
was made to do work for the future,
but the entire time was consumed in
kicking about the power already lost
to the state. Senator Dimick roundly
berated the Portland Railway, Light C
Power company for absorbing the
rights to the water power at oregon
City. He maintained that the use of
this power by the company was the
greatest outrage ever committed
against the state of Oregon"
Without going into the merits of this
particular case The Capital Journal
thinks the time opportune to again
point out, that all the balance of the
water power Of the state, some three
to five millions Of horse power, are at
the mercy Of this same company or
any other that cares to appropriate it.
Suppose this company, or a combina-
tion of companies great enough to
handle the proposition should locate
the whole business within the next few
days, or for that matter before the leg
islature meets again two years from
now. What course would Senator
Dimick pursue then? Would he con-
denim these companies for grabbing
this magnificent water power worth at
the most conservative estimate a hun
dred million dollars a year; or would
he condemn himself and the balance of
the legislature for failing to protect
the peoples rights and thereby virtu-
ally assist in this great wealth being
exploited by private capital? No doubt
he would take the latter course, be-
cause there would be something tan
gible to abuse, and it is always good
fun abusing a corporation.
A corporation has legal corporate
existence, but 1t has no corporeal sub
stance. 1t is a legal fiction; an incor-
poreal inchoate, intangible nonentity;
the baseless fabric of a dream; the
substance Of things hoped for but ney-
er seen; or as Blackstone so briefly
but eloquently defines it, "a sort of an
artificial person with all the rights and
privileges Of an individual, but without
a body to be kicked or a soul to be
damned"
Fortunately being composed of airy
nothing, 1t cannot strike back or kick,
having neither fists nor feet, 50 it is
safe to d-n the soul 1t hasn't and call
it all kinds of names, because It cant
with indignant fists punch its assail-
ant in the mouth All 1t can do is to
get into print and like the Irlshman
deny the allegation and defy the al
legator," but this does not hurt the
gentleman who assals It's reputation
and shakes his fist under its fictitious
nose. and he is safe in jumping onto,
or into or through the legal moonboam
as ne would be in abusing the man IN
the moon or talking about the dead
King Menelik Of Abyssinia, But here Is
where the corporation is also safe, for
it has no feelings to be hurt; no eyes
to be blacked, no mother to use harsh
comparisons about
But this is a depression. and made
only TO show the course left open to
the great public in tackling the corpo-
rations which will have possession Of
all the states water powers by and by
simply because legislature after legis-
lature refused to take any steps to re-
ain what wo have; preferring to let
us take it out in swearing, kicking,
fanlt-nndInE. abusing. calllng nnmes