Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1870-01-07
rhe ocean cahle Question.

The French Gable Company i, Will De re-
membered landed It's wire on our shore, by
the courtesy of the United States Govern
ment The company sought and obtained
the special permission of President Grant to
that effect. and On the condition thar the
business public of this country should have
equal facilities flr the transmission Of their
dispatches with tile people Of France. But
the new cable had no sooner begun opera
tons than it was discovered TO De m0nopo-
" Of the worst kind. In tie frs, place it
had an exclusive control over all Atlantic
cables within the limits Of France When
an American company sought the privilege
Of laying a new wire from this country to
some point in the Empire the request was
denied, on the ground that the French Com
pany had by their charter a monopoly Of the
business. IN view Of the fact that The
French Company landed it cable on Amer
lean soil by the special consent of our Gov
eminent, this refusal of Napoleon TO recipro-
cate naturally provoked considerable indig-
nation on this side Of the ocean.
Selfshness is not, however, the only
grievance to be complained Of 1t ap-
pears now that ali messages transmitted
over the French Gable are subject TO the cen
sorship Of the Imperial authorities. >as-
picious dispatches public or private, are not
allowed 70 be delivered in France, and the
Government assumes the right to inspect
and pass Judgment upon all the corresp5n-
dence by the cable OF course this was not TO
be endured. The attention of Congress and
the administration was promptly called to
the character of the company to which the
favor of the Government had beea extended,
and steps were taken by the State DEPART
ment with a view TO placing the whole sub
iect Of ocean cables on a br1aier and treer
foundation. \ circular from the Secretary
Of State instructed our ministers abroad TO
propose to the Governments to which they
were respectively accredited, the adoption of
a general treaty covering the whole subject
Of ocean telegraphs. and embracing the fol-
lowing general provisions no monopoly to
be allowed, but all companies to have equal
privileges to lay and operate cables all ca
bles to be Independent Of government con-
trol, and the privacy Of dispatches to be re-
gariei as inyi1lable; in ease Of wax. cables
to be undistur6el and their commercial busi-
ness to be suffered to . N as usual.
1t viii be seen that these provisions were
just and enlightened, and worthy Of the
great government which proposed them.
Tie circular, as well as President Grants
alll,ion to the subject in his message. was
published in Frame and naturally alarmed
the m1nopolists Of the French cable. They
at once prepared reply to the charges con
tained in Secretary Fish's letter. or at least
to one Of them, and forwarded it =. free Of
charge" begging the American rapers to
publish it. The substance Of this replica
ton Is as follows After quoting the charge
made by the President that the French Gov
ernaicut exercises an examination Of dis
patches by the cable, the Director General
of lelegraphs pretends to deny it, and saws
that - the administration exercises no control
Of that nature, either over dispatches from
America or from any other quarter. but it is
Its duty 70 see that communications are trans
mittoi over the cable in the order of their
filing or Of their reception at Brest. and that
there is no favoritism in this respect. 1t
must also on account Of The telegropiic MN
opoiy held by the Government see that no des- /
patches are clandestinely introduced up3n
the line, and so avoid the tax which legiti- |
mately accrues to the State. Such is the
double aim of it, control, to protect at once
the interests Of the public and of the Treas
ury. Finally, the conditions under which |
this Department exercises control over the |
business of the line are without political in
tention. lts subordinate employees are
charged with the task, and their duty is re-
stricted to the verihcation Of ciphers such as
the signals of place and time of filing, and
of reforwarding, and The number Of words
which form the basis for application Of the
government tax"
1t will be seen that this document. which
is issued for the benefit Of the French Cable
Company, indirectly admits one of the charges
against it, viz : that Of monopoly, and only
partially denies the other, viz: that the