The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-24

to call such conference, to consist of some of the leaders in the farm organ izations and some of the prominent representatives of farm economics in our agricultural colleges, to formulate a program for legislation to be presented to the congress which we can all SUD- port.
 ''Nhen we look for an example of benefiting consumers we shall find 1t in the bituminOus coal industry. Three years ago there were about nine thousand mines, or 30 per cent more mines and miners than could be given regular employment. The department of commerce found there was need for more cars, more sum- mer storage and more industrial peace. These have been accomplished, with the result that while in the pr>fiteering period of 1920 mine coal averaged $5.64 & ton, nOtwithstand! ing the strike of 1922, it averaged $3.67 per ton, and for the year end ing June 30, 1t averaged $2.2S per ton. This industry has been organ ized but not m0nopOlized, it has be- tween 1000 and 5000 competing mines, and no person or group con-
 
 per cent of the production.
 Tt is impossible to escape the con- clusion that the general economic con- dition of the country is good. While business and agriculture have not fully recovered the losses caused by the world wide depression which always follows war, they are now on fairly profitable basis.
 Public Ownership
 "It has always been the theory of our institutions that the people should own the government and not that the government should own the people. This policy cannot be maintained unless the people continue to own and control their own property. The most import ant property of the country is trans portation and water power. It is not only very large in amount but it is of the greatest strategic value. It could be used in such a way as to assume virtual control of all other business of any importance. It is proposed that these properties should be brought un- der public ownershipu.
 Responsible public commissions have valued these at about $35, ,000, ,000, 900. Such a cost would more than double all our public debts. Any deficit in earnings would have to be made up out of taxes. We did that during the war at a cost of $1, ,600,OO0,OOO. With the government in possession of such great engine, with two and three quar- ters millions of employees, spending $9, ,000, 100000 or $10,000, 100000 each year, holding virtually the power of life and death, what chance would the rest of the people of this country have?
 Another principle in which the American people have always strongly believed, and which they have stoutly maintained, is judicial as against a political determination of causes. When our constitution was adopted it estab- lished the supreme court of the United States to be the very citadel of justice. One of their chief duties is to protect the rights of the individual. Our govern ment is anything but absolute. It has only those powers which are conferred upon it by the constitution. That con stitution distinctly declares that the president and the congress are prohibited from doing certain things, the cen tral thought of which is that no one shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.
 ''The same privileges that belong to