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Show Springing Socialistic Spooks. A CATHOLIC exchange published somewhere in the lumber regions of Wisconsin assails the plank in the Democratic platform of New York which urges government ownership of anthracite coal mines as the best means of preventing widespread distress dis-tress which threatened the people not long ago. The editor is another of those persons who see a Socialistic spook behind every, lamp post and raise a stupid alarm because the few practical theories of this visionary cult might be applied to correct monopoly. He asks, if the government should mine coal, why not silver and copper and I lead? Why not grow potatoes? j Of ' course the Wisconsin paper knocks all of sense there is in the inquiry in-quiry by tacking to it the" ridiculous mention of potatoes. The first proposition, propo-sition, however, is susceptible of argument'; argu-ment'; at least the question may be raised in judicially deciding the power and scope of the government in providing provid-ing the best means to prevent hardship and suffering through encroachments of monopoly, like that in Pennsylvania. The answer to the question of the Wisconsin editor, confined to metallic mines, or mines producing precious ores, is, that gold, or silver, or copper, each and all of them do not enter into physical life like coal, which has grown to be a necessity almost as much as water. It would be very inconvenient, incon-venient, yet the world could get along without metallic money. . Certainly no man would perish from hunger or freeze to death if he possessed some other token than coin in exchange for values; and this is the chief function of money coined from precious ores a simple token of value. Secondly, unlike the railroad and coal operators who tripled the value of coal, the owner of the mine has no power to establish a price value of his bullion. This is fixed by the laws of congress, or at the United States mint, or by those shylocks who corner money and create panics. The auriferous miner or mine owner is not responsible for these evils. His contribution to the wants of society is satisfied when he presents bullion to be coined, and not to be eaten or burned. No monopoly of auriferous mine owners ever did or could provoke distress among the people. The United Slates docs not enter into the business of geld and silver mining, yet there is nothing to prevent pre-vent it, no more than there would be in operating a paper mill and printing office to produce its notes. It owns numberless mines already discovered or hidden beneath the bowels of the earth. A miner's claim is not his own until he has perfermed the required assessment work on such claim or obtained patent through purchase. No advantage could accrue to the people by reason of the government operating auriferous aurifer-ous mines. It has never been suggested. sug-gested. Therefore, the attempt to apply ap-ply the same logic for auriferous mines which aptly fit coal mines is no logic at all, because the premises are too wide anart for nrciimpnt. The soundness of the government's privilege to exercise its right of eminent emi-nent domain in cases like that presented pre-sented in the recent coal strike has been confirmed by our ablest jurists. In a modified form this law is observed frequently in condemnation proceedings proceed-ings to open highways and streets and lay railroad tracks. If the city council coun-cil where our contemporary is published pub-lished should decide to continue a street through his printing office, the editor might make a kick and rave about the divine right of property. But the street would go through his shop, all the same; and this by reason of the fact that the aim of popular government is for the greatest good to the greatest number. It is this idea of government which is incorporated in the New York Democratic platform. It may be socialism, yet it is practical common sense. ' |