The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-01-03
The Impudence OF the French Gable
COmpanY.

| III Ine ADMINISTRATION AZ w nsnlnBtOu nhu
| one particle Of respect tor the national honor,
it would have long ago ordered the taking
| up Of 80 much of the French telegraph cable
as is laid under water within three marine
| leagues Of our shores. Beyond this distance,
the ocean and its bed are by the laws of ma
tons common property but this side Of II,
up to low-water mark, the United States has
| Jurisdiction, not only to tho exclusion of oil
other countries. but to that of the individual
States. At FIRST the Cable Company pretend
ed that the authorization Of Massachusetts,
which they had secured, was sufficient
to protect them in landing their cable at
Duxbury but this fallacy was quickly ex-
plodcd by the indignant denunciations of
the American press, which reused the Presi.
dent and Secretary FISH to giving q formal
notification that the whole naval force Of the
United States would, II necessary, be en-.
ployed to prevent the contamination of the
project. Resorting then TO diplomacy and
intrigue, the Company secured from the Gov
eminent last summer qualified consent to
going on with the landing, based upon their
distinct promise that a similar privilege of
| landing American cables on the French
shore should be accorded TO our citizens, and
in general that any other terms which
might be imposed by Congress should be
complied with
The cable has been now In full operation
for over six months, and, az we predicted
from the start, the promise that American
citizens should be treated in France as the
French Company has been treated here has
not been kept On the contrary, n recent up
| plication by American citizens TO the French
Government for permission TO land an Ameri-
can cable on the French coast has been
rejected, for the express reason that the
monopoly of the privilege was already the
property Of the Company to which the Presi-
dent and Mr.. FISH so weakly yielded last
summer. That the threatened policy which
drove the French Company TO making terms
is not carried out, is another Of the evidences
| of incompetency in the Administration which
have lost 1t the confidence of the people. The
action taken was, in any event, an illegal at
tempt to usurp the powers of Congress and
its failure to secure the object aimed at ought,
one would think, TO at least provoke its
recall
Fortunately, Congress has the power yet
in reserve to remedy the blunders which
have been committed In this matter, and
| the managers of the Cable Company know
it. A fact which will be used against them
| in the debate on their case will naturally be
the inquisitoriGl supervision which the
| French police maintain over messages
sent through the cable, and which it is stipu-
lated they shall always be allowed to main
tain. To avert as far as possible, in advance,
the prejudice which this fact is calculated TO
create against them, as well as to counteract
the injury which 1t will do their business,
they have obtained from the French Director.
General Of Telegraph Lines what they in.
tend shall be taken for disclaimer of the
exercise of the inquisitorial privilege referred
to. This official, however, is compelled to
admit that every message sent by The cable
passes under the inspection of Government
clerk, who counts tie cords and rerifes he
ciph6rsi He only insists that this is done
without political intention" This may
gency should arise in which political
ends would be served by knowing the
contents of dispatches, does any one
believe that the clerk in charge would fail to
note them for the use of his superiorsP To
try to make the American public believe
the contrary is piece of impudence which
will fail of its purpose. The French Gov.
eminent required, before granting permission
to lay the cable on the French coast, that
it should terminate in an office under their
control and this condition will be retained
us long as France is governed on the
principles that always have prevailed there
and which have become most probably
too deeply rooted 10 be overthrown even by a
revolution. Congress should insist politely
but firmly, either upon the French cable
being taken up altogether, or upon con-
cession to American citizens, without distinc
ton, of landing cables on the shores of
France free from all Government supervision
aud control whatever.