The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-05
THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF 1T.

e Vi . e HEREWITH ISplouuCCo
the plank Of the platform of the New
York Democracy, adopted at the Sara
toga convention on Wednesday last,
defining the attitude of the party in
that state on the subject of the national
fuel supply. 1t is as follows:
1--WE advocate the national ownership
and operation Of the anthracite Goa!
eminent domain, with just compensation
to owners. Ninety per cent of the anthra-
cite coal deposits of the world being in
the state of Pennsylvania, national own
ership can but be in the interest of the
whole people.
"Fuel, like water, being a public neces-
sity, we advocate national ownership and
operation of the mines as a solution of
the problem, which will relieve the coun-
try from the sufferings which follow diff
ferenees between labor and capital in the
sure peace in the mining regions and re-
move the cause for differences, leading
not only to suffering but ofttimes to
bloodshed and insurrection. 1t will re-
neVe the consumers of coal, not only in
this state, but throughout the whole
country; insure steady employment and
ample compensation to labor, transfer
children from the mines to the schools !;
insure, strengthen and preserve the sta
bllity of the business interests and pop
ular institutions of our country. What
other propositions of public ownership,
the propriety of that policy as applied to
anthracite coal mines must be apparent
to every citizen"
Read in the light of the abortiveness
Of the effort of the national executive
to secure settlement Of the prevailing
strike, this declaration must be regard
ed as the most important political ut
terance of the present day. Who will
say, in view of the situation now ex-
listing, with the almost assured pros
pect before the country of untold suf-
fering and distress. that this pro-
nouncement is not expressive of a
pressing national demand?
The right Of eminent domain, we are
told, means, in practice, the right in
herent in any sovereignty of taking
| possession of any valuable thing, be it
real or personal, and using it for pub
lie purpose. The title to all Individual
property has attached to it the condi-
ton that the sovereign power may at
any time for public purposes exercise
it's sovereignty by taking the owner
ship of such property actually as well
as constructively to itself. The consti-
tutional principle that compensation
must be made to the owner is, however.
made to apply to this country to the
exercise of the right.
There can be but two questions pres
ent for decision in this case, and they
are, first, whether the public needs de-
mand and justify the exercise Of the
right, and second, whether, in the case
Of the anthracite coal Mines the right
and power is under our constitutional
system inherent in the state of Penn
sylvania or in the general government,
or whether it adheres in both.
AS the matter now stands concerning
the access Of the people to their prin-
cipal fuel supply, the country has just
been told that they may perish; that
the dependent industries of the country
must, if necessary, cease to operate,
and that even the peoples means of
subsistence must be lost to them, rath-
er than that those whom they depend
on for that supply shall surrender their
respective understanding of their
rights in dealing with each other.
The situation is intolerable. It's
maintenance on the will Of those in
disagreement implies, as surely as that
night follows day, that American soci-
ETY. is without remedy against the aw-
full consequences which may follow
from it.
1t may not comport with the views of
the coal mine owners that they shall
be compelled to deal with President
Mitchell, or that they must deal COL
lectively with those for whom he
speaks. 1t may not comport with the
views of the president of the Miners
union or of those whom he represents,
that they shall deal otherwise than in
their representative or aggregate ca
pacity with their employees in the set
Element Of the existing dispute. Fox
all that the people care nothing. 1t is
no answer to their demand that the eX>
ecutive officials of the allied coal car
rying roads or the independent mine
operators or all together regard the
Miners union as a breeder and sup
porter of anarchy.
Their public duty is to mine the coal
they control, either through the Miners
union or in spite of that body. They
have had over five months time in which
to do either Of these things. They have
had the military power Of the state Of
Pennsylvania to protect them in any
course they thought proper to pursue
within the law They have done moth
ing. They cannot now stand forward
and declare that they will do nothing.
In such a public emergency, the people
must look elsewhere than to miners
and mine owners. To say that they
must look in vain is equivalent to say
ing that popular sovereignty is a
worthless thing in itself.
If those entrusted with the owner
ship of the anthracite coal deposits
sought to secure universal acceptance
among the American people Of the pol
icy outlined in the above quotation
from the platform of the New York De-
mocracy, they could hardly pursue any
course which could lead more surely or
more directly to that end than the
course which they have now entered
upon,
AT least one candidate for local office
whose expense account has been filed
must be regarded as having had plenty
of fun for his money, and as having
made considerable noise for so small an
amount. Among other things he ap-