The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-07-17
snail the French Telegraph be Per
mitIed 10 Land?

The New York Sun has savage ed
Notwithstanding that the government
shall prevent the landing of~the new
ocean cable on the coast Of Massachu>
sets. It characteristics the company7as
s.a,band ofrebels and French and Eng
lish rebel sympathizers."' - Suppose
they are, what can't that possibly have
TO do with an enterprise of this kind?
If they, choose to risk their, money tn
supplying q want keenly felt In
each Of the countries to be connected,
with the hope of legitimate business
rewards, why should they not3 Peo-
pie whorwere not of this disreputable
political character haYe declined to I'M
dertake II; and this does not debar them
from doing so In future If they choose,
The Massachusetts Legislature, miss
conceiving their powers, undertook 10
grant authority TO land the cable on the
coast of that State. The Sun is clearly
rIght-in saying no individual State has
any such authority. Every nation has
the sole and exclusive control over the
waters within q marine league from its
shores, while the Jurisdiction of indivix
dual States extends only to low water
mark. The Sun assumes, therefore,
that the attempt to land the cable with
out authority OF Congress would be ga
violation OF internationaI1aM-a and an
insult ito the dignity. of the Omitted
States" If undertaken by any foreign
government this would be true, but
committed by private company the
offence can scarcely be said to rise; to
such dignity. The Sun, therefore, calls
on Secretary Fish to send up war yes
sci and stop the cable, fleet the moment
itcolnes within league OF shore, and
says "the nation will be seriously dis
graced"ifit is not done.
~This.seems to be an'extraVagant-vie
of the matter. In granting this COM
papy franchises, CongressIwilto of course
take care to secure equal privileges for
the United States with the French gov.
eminent audEsuchA general reciprocity
ab will protect the American public
against imposition or. Injury. Upon
this point; the Tribune has this to say +:
What Is meant isto join in. telegraph
ic Communication France and the
United States. II this can be done on
equitable terms we reckon 1t a great
gain to both countries and Civilizations;
II 1t isto be done only in the Interest Of
France, with special privileges for the
Imperial Government and none at all
for ours, we are not SO sure about 1t.
We are quite sure, however, that The
notice SAID to have been given by our
Secretary of State to the BritiSh--and
French Ministers on the snhject means
business. Congress- unquestionablY
N EhnnlI "a
on our shores and suffered to do bust
ness without satisfactory provision for
eciprocity in its use by the respective
Governments. The Attorney-Genera
unquestionably spoke the voice of the
Administration when he denied that
the State OF Massachusetts, or any State
could give Constitutional consent to
the landing of the Cabel. We hope for
the earliest possible addition OF this new
Gable to our means for communication
with the Old World; but we insist that
we shall have IL on equal terms, and
the managers of the enterprise may as
we'll take notice., MA tam, - '' o..
This IL all very well, of course but
If the company are willing to land and
run the risk of obtaining charter from
Congress thereafter, no-Yery greatharm
can result. In the interim they will
acquire no vested rights, but be wholly
at the mercy of our Government. The
risk is all theirs. The Government
could protect, itself or our citizens at
any moment. IF Congress should re-
fuse charter, the Company would have
to Withdraw, at their own expense, not
ours. The fact that the connecting ca
BILE to our shore had been laid would be
q strong. additional reason why the
Company should grant US liberal rect-
procity; for If they had waited at st.
Pierre, they could then seek ,conti-
mental terminus outside OF our terrific
ry without the loss OF the line to Du1-
bury or the expense of recovering it.
This talk about the nation being dis
graced ifthey arenow permitted to land
the cable on orr shore seems to us an
intemperance OF. speech which there is
no emergency t64iustify.1 ( . .