The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-01-16


into bricquetts OF all sizes, from M
egg up to six or eight inches In dia.
meter. aud IT makes the hest fuel. It
is awful to see the waste that goes on
about some Of the mines here. This
great Appalachian belt is not mex.
haustible Pennsylyania has about
reached her highest production. In
many portions OF that state about
four feet OF coal in the Pittsbirg vein
IS not mined at an. tits simply vast
ed. with the amount Of waste going
on. II win not be a great while until
our coal resources. immense as they
are. win be exhaustedss 4
Expectation Of Natural Gas.
Much has been said concerning the
prohibition or restriction OF the sex.
portation of natural gas beyond the
borders Of the State II is said that
n the gas could be consumed in the
state. factories would come here, and
we would get the benefit OF their loca.
ton within our own State: that II
the expectation Of this fuel continues
at the same rate that has obtained
heretofore IL will soon be exhausted,
and we viii have none for our own
use; that the burning Of this gas be-
yond the borders OF, the State depriyes
ts OF the benefit that would come to us
il its CONSUMPTION was restricted with.
in the boundaries OF our State. This
IL quite different subject from the
prevention of waste Of this great min.
erai wealth There are three things
that have to he considered in connec.
tion with any stringent restrictive
measures on with the prohibition of
the exjcrtation Of gas. The first is
The Interstate commerce provision OF
the federal constitution; the second is
that provision of the same supreme
law which says mo tax or duty shall
be laid ON articles exported from any
State and the third is the moral
right or justice Of such proposed meas.
ire. i take II we could not, in the
face of the provision Of the federal
constitution, levy any tax on natural
gas for the purpose of preventing its
being taken from beyond our State;
and that could not do any other
act which would interfere with the
power of Congress over interstate
commerce. But there provisions Of
the federal constitution are modified
by what is known as the police power
OF the States. But how far modified
II is diflicult 70 say, because 1t Is cas-
Ter to say what the police power is
not, in any given case. than to give d
definition Of 1t, Its force and the ex-
tent of its modification of the provi.
sions Of the constitution referred to de-
pend ON the state Of facts Of a given
case. We can undoubtedly prevent
waste Of gas, and regulate its produc
ton and transportation so far, say, as
to avoid dangers to health, property or
life. But all such restrictions would
have TO be reasonable, and directed to
those ends. for the federal courts would
be quick to detect any indirect effort
by such laws TO eyade or violate the
provisions Of the federal constitution.
Nor should we overlook the justice OF
any proposed legislation along these
lines. Il win not do to say that these
gas companies or pipe line companies
are great corporations; that they are
monopolies or that they. have Cypress.
ed the people. Injustice is not to be
cured by injustice, or then we should
be as bad as they are. and we would
prostitute the powers of the govern
ment to most unworthy purposes. We
should carefully consider what right
we have 70 say to the owner of any
product that he shall not market that
product where he can get the highest
price within the confines OF the Repub.
lie. n we caa do that as to gas we
can do 1t as to oil, as to coal, as. to
timber, or as to any other product.
see no moral right, at least, that
would justify us to compel the owner
OF natural gas to sell it at certain
place for ten cents a thousand cubic
1eet "htn NE coulu Set uoup4e tnht at
some other place. 1t would indeed be
a state Of anatrs most desirable If we
could protltably make nse within our
own State Of all the gas, oil and coal
we take out OF the earth, as it would
81 we could manufacture into their
final and finished forms all the tim
Der and other natural products of the
State, II this were SO it would very
great accelerate our advance in the
increase Of wealth. But II we stop
our gas from going into Ohio. Ohio
can stop some of her products that we
want from coming into West Virginia,
and so could the other States put an
embargo on their products, and thus
w, ws,.fld have The very state nf nj.