New-York tribune., 1922-09-28

of the territory of the United States
Of America, and no other sovereignty
exists within that territory. The
municipal government Of New York
is purely an agency of the state, and
1t derives it's authority solely from
the sovereign state. Safe harbcrs
which give access to and from the sea
have been through all the history Of
civilization among the most valuable
assets Of nation. The harbor Of
New York is one of the chief Of these
assets of our state and of our nation.
Nobody can take that asset away
merely by making a residence in the
chief gateway Of the commerce Of
the United States city has grown
up upon the islands and shores Of
the harbor. The city owes its origin
to the fact that the commerce of the
country flows to and from the har-
Dor. But for that commerce the ter
ritory which we call the city would
be inhabited only by few farmers
and fishermen. The city must owe
It's future existence to the continu-
ance of that commerce. 1t has no
faculty Of independent life. If the
port of New York were to cease to
perform its primary function as the
gateway Of the nations commerce,
and the flow of commerce were to
cease, the inhabitants Of the city
must disperse and go elsewhere in
search of food AID occupation. The
people living in that territory are
the keepers of the gate for the ma
ton. They constitute a part Of q
great national organization Of pro-
duction and trade, just as every farm
and every mandatory and every
railroad in the country Is q part of
that organization. Upon the con-
tinued and prosperous working of
that organization as whole depend
the prosperity and the lives of all
the people Of the state. If its powers
are 50 exercised as to prevent rather
than to promote the welfare of the
people Of the state from which they
are derived, good sense requires that
the state shall make such changes as
are necessary to get its business done
properly. The creation of the new
Port Authority is step in that direc-
tion. 1t rests upon the authority of
complete sovereignty over the terri
tory affected. 1t is to be observed,
however. that If Tammany Hall Sc
cures control of the government of
the State of New York at the coming
election she will easily strangle the
Port of New York Authority and
leave Tammany in the undisturbed
possession of control over our COM
merce.
For years we have been talking
about using our water power in the
state to make and distribute electric
ity. A million available horsepower
from other than boundary streams is
the estimate. | recall many weary
and tumultuous hours of discussion
over the subject at the Constitutional
Convention Of 1894 in this city. Dis
cussion has continued ever since;
some for development by the state
and some for development by individ-
ual enterprise, and not enough mo-
mentum either way to actually do
anything. Twenty eight years have
passed since we were discussing the
subject in the convention of 1894
and every day for twenty-eight years
million horsepower has been going
to waste. At last decision of charac-
ter has come to end irresolution, and
during this administration laws have
been passed and appropriations have
been made to promptly utilize for the
benefit of the people of the state this
enormous wealth; laws under which
the government of the state itself