The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-10-16

The adventure of our sprighuy little
neighbor, the Houston Chronicle. into tho
field of political economy suggests that 1t
would better confne its efforts to the kniok.
erbockers and automobinng Of journalism as
typiied in its very handsome front pnge
picture last Tuesday. But as the Chronicle
seems TO be bent upon having it's fling in a
field where wiser persons fear TO fare. per.
haps little primer craftsmanship may do
It good.
The Chronicle Sc "unspeakably' shocked
10 the extent OF loaded double column that
the New York democratic platform should
advocate the government ownership of coal
mines, and Is unable to see the hair It is
splitting IN setting up a difference in princi
pie between State and municipal ownership
Now, n municipality is the creature of a
State. Whatever powers OF discretion it
exercises are derived from the State. and OBJ
yiously the State can grant no powers Of
government which &c does not itself possess
Therefore. the State must have the power
TO own waterworks lighting plants trans
portation lines. etc. Only Tuesday Governor
sayers called upon the heads Of the state
institutions at Austin 10 get together and
consider the matter Of a lighting and power
plant 70 supply their needs. True, this is
not case OF going into the business of
supplying light and fuel in competition with
private concerns. but it contsmplates taking
just SO much business from the private con
Germs, and to 30 further and sell light and
POWER would be only an extension OF the
principle precisely as is done in cities
owning light and power plants
The city OF Beaumont might wisely pur-
cLase one or more oil wells for It's own mu-
nic:pal uses, and II it should do so there
would hardly be any criticism. even from
the Chronicle In like manner the state Of
Texas might acquire oil wells to supply fuel
for its public Institutions, OF the state might
discover oil on some of It's public lands In
the latter case the supply would probably
run far beyond its needs. and it would be
compelled to sell Oil or oil wells or oil lands.
In either event it would in some degree in
terfere with concerns In the oil business
1t win thus be seen that State or munich
pal ownership and operation involves some
very fine distinctions which are subjects
simply OF discretion and not OF principle.
But the Chronicle halks at National own
ership. and it may well hesitate, as all con.
sentative persons and newspapers. including
The Post hesitate to approve so wide de-
parture from past policies. The proposition
is unusual, but It is not 'unspeakable" 1t
is offered by the New York democrats not
as wilful adventure IN socialism, but as a
desperate remedy for confessedly desper.
ate evil, and they who oppose 1t would
strengthen their opposition by proposing
something better--something that would
cure the intoerable condition in the anthra-
cite region with which the law, both State
and National IS now poweress to contend.
The absolute helplessness Of the president
and the governor OF Pennsylvania in tho
present instance needs no exposition beyond
the spectacle Of insolent coal operators and
defiant coal miners while factories stard
paralyzed and householders SILVER in the
cold. No political economist win deny that
there IS the power of sovereignty somewhere
to grappe with these conditions
Il Is an ancient principle of government
that minerals-and coal is a mineral--be.
long to the sovereign. The early colonies Of
America were founded with due regard to
this principle. and In more than one instance
the king in granting colonial rights made a
distinct reservation Of the minerals or re-.
CURED liberal royalty from the miners.
TIE idea. therefore. has basis in historical
descent
Now sovereignty is absolute. American
Sovereignty resides somewhere. In the early
days the Jeffersonian school held that Il
resided in the several States. except where
expressly conferred upon the Nation. But
since that time the Nation has taken on many
sovereign functions not then contemplated,
and we have been compelled by force Of cir.
cumstance to amend our political economy
in many respects. It is not matter OF choice
Or Of ideaIism. but Of necessity. For In
stance. the original Jefiersonian view would
have resisted the control OF trusts except
n their interstate relation. but when the