Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-12-08

J. by the executive departmeu of the gov
II eminent. Such tribunal would sffri
e an opportunity to aliens, other thsn
e British suit. cts, ID present their claims
r. on account Of acts committed against
y their persons or property during the re-
: b lion, a. also 10 those subjects OF Great
g Brit ain whose claims having arisen sub.
i sequent to the ninth day Of April, 1865,
q could not be presented TO the late COM
{ mission organized pursuant to the pro.
j. visions OF the t.eaty Of Washington.
{ THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH
: : has become an essential and indispensi-
bic agent in the transmission of the
: business and &C cial messages. Us ope-
: ration on land. and within the limit of
particular Stat g, Is OF neCe sity under
, The control of the Jurisdiction within
which l. operates. The lines on the
high seas, however, are not sui set to the
pt rt;culsr control Of any one govern
ment. In 1859, a concession was grant
ed by the French government to a COM
papy which proposed 10 lay cable from
the shores of france to the United
States. At that time there was 8 tele
graphic connection between the Z 1iyed
States and the continent Of Europe,
through the possessions Of Great Britain,
either end OF the Inns under control OF
an association which had, at large out ay
Of capital, and at 9 crest risk demOustTa-
ted the practica5ility Of msintainiI such
means of Communication. The cost OF
correspondence by this agency was
great; ossiDiy not too largo at The time
for proper remuneration for 80 costly
ga enterprise. 1t was, however
heavy charge upon tbs means of
| Communication which pro Sres5 in
the social aud commercis! intercourse
| Of the world was found to he necessity,
and the Obtaining of this French con-
cessiOn showed that other CAPT al than
| that already invested was ready to en-
ter into competition with the assurance
| OF adCqu te returns for their outlay.
| Impressed vita the conviction that the
| Interests not only of the people of the
| United States, buC of the world at large, |
| demanded or would demand the multi |
! plication Of such means Of communica. |
| ton between the separated continents, |
| was desirous that the proposed con- |
| nection should be made, but certain |
| provisions of this concession were |
| deemed by me to be Objectionable, rar-
ticularly the one which gave for long
term of years the exclusive right OF tele-
graphic communication by submarine !
cable bstween the shores OF France and |
the United States. / could not cOncede |
that any power should claim the right
to land a cable OF the shore of the
United States, and at the same time
deny to the United States, or to its citi-
jzens, the guarantee OF an equal right to
lay cable on its shores. The right to
control the conditions for the laying o.
cable W thin the jurisdictional waters
Of the United Ststes, to connect our
shores with those Of any foreign State,
pertains exclusively to the government
Of the United States, under
such limitations aud conditions
as congress may impose in the absence
Of legislation by congress. was IN
willing, on the one hand, to yield to
for ign state the right to say that its
grantees might land on our shores while
iC denied slmil8r right to our people to
land on it's shores; and, on the o!Ler
hand, ] was reluctant to deny to the
great interests of the world and CT civil
iZatiOn the facilities of such cOmmuHi-
cstion SIS were proposed. l therefore
withheld resistance to the landing of
any cable on CONDITION that The offensive
monopoly feature of the concession be
abandoned, and that the right Of any
cable which may be established by au-
thOrity Of this government to land on
French territory, and to connect with
the French laod lines, and rjly tue
necessary facilities or privileges Incident
to the use thereof upon as favorable
terms as any other company, be con-
coded. As result thereof the company
IN question renouDcei the exclusive
privileges, and the representative Of
France was informed that, understand.
ing this REIMBURSEMENT to bs construed
as granting entire reciprocity and the
equal facilities which had been demand
ell, the Opposi ion to the landing of
the cable was withdrawn. The ca
BILE, under this French conces ion,
was landed ia the month of July,
1869, and has been an efficient and VII
Uaole agent OF cOmmunica ion between
this country aad the other continent
IL soon passed uGder the control of those
who had the management OF the cable
connecting Great Britain with this con-
tinent, and thus whatever be left to the
public might have issued from c0mpeti-
ton between two lines, was lost, having
greater facilities Of an additional line,
and additional security Of accident to
one of them. But these increased facil-
tiles, and this additional facility, to.
gether With the combined control Of tie
capital of the two companies, gave also
q greater power TO prevent the future
construction Ct other lines, and to limit
the cOntr u of telegrsphiC communication
between the two continents TO those
possessing lines already laid. Within
a few months q cable has teen laid,
known az the
UNITED STATES DIRECT CABLE
connecting the United States directly
with Great Britain. As soon as this
cable was reported to be In working or
der, the rates of the exiting cOnsoli-
dated companies were greatly reduced
Soon, however, a br6 az was announced
in the new cable, and immedistsly the
rates of the other line were again raised
This cable being now repaired, the rates
APPEAR rot to be reduced by either line
from those formerly charged by tie
other company. There is reason to
believe thai large amounts of capital,
both at home and abroad, ale ready to
seek profitable investment III the sd
vRncement Of the useful and most civil
iziDg means Of intercourse and CORE
spondence. They await, however, tie
assurance OF the meaus and conditions
on which they may safely be made trib-
utaTy to the general good. AS these
cable telegraph lines connect separate
statea, there are questions as to their Or
gsniZstion and control, which probably |
can be best, if not solely, set
tied by a convention between the
respective stateJ. II the absence,
however, of international conventions
on the subject, municipal legislation
may secure many points which appear
to me important, if not Indispensable,
for the protection of the public against
the ext rtions which may result from
monopoly Of the right Of operating tee.
graph cables or from a combination be-
tween several liues.
First-No line should be allowed to
land on the shores OF the United States
uuderR concession from another power
which does not admit the right OF any
other line or lines formed in the United
States to land and freely connect with
and operate through the Jald lines.
SecOud-No line should lie allowed to !
land on the shores Of the United States
which is not, by treaty stipulation with
toe government from whose shores it
proceeds, or by prohibition in its charter
or otherwise TO the satisfaction of this
government, prohibited from consolidat-
ing or amalgsmating with any other
cable telegraph line or combining there
with for The purpose of regulating and
M aint aiming The p0il Of tells pranhiO cono- |