The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-03-07
THE HA WAIIAN CABLE.

THE ia WAIlAN CABLE.
=
AS there seems to be some doubt
regarding the present status OF
the Cable bill before Congress, we
give the following clippings from
our San Francisco correspondent
| showing the latest action taken in
the Senate up to February Odd:
WASHINGTON, February 10Th. - The
| Senate to-day passed the Hawaiian
Cable bill as an amendment to the Con-
sular and Diplomatic Appropriation bill,
after the following amendment had
been agreed to:
"To enable the President to make
arrangement with any citizen or corpora
ton of the United States as shall appear
to possess the facilities and means neces-
sary to that end for Geographic com.
munication between the United States
| and the kingdom of Hawaii, which en-
| gagement shall contain provisions sufi-
Gent in the Judgment of the President to
secure to the Government and citizens
of the United States early and equal
communication by telegraph with said
kingdom, at reasonable terms, for a
period OF not less than fourteen years,
and a sum not exceeding $3.50 900 is
appropriated for each year during which
such engagements shall be so in course
of execution exceeding twenty years,
and the sum total paid under this auth
ority shall not exceed $1,000, 0O0."
The vote was 80 to %. The Democrats
who voted in the affirmative were
Hampton, Mcpherson and Morgan.
Plumb, Quay and Walcott, Republicans
voted in the negative.
The discussion during the executive
| session was extremely warm at times,
the opposition being led by Senators
Vest, Cockrell and Call, who bitterly at
tackled the policy of the Government in
giving subsidies. Their remarks were
unavailing, however, as at all times the
bill had a safe majority. The Demo
cratic members of the Foreign Relations
Committee voted and talked in favor Of
the bill, but this is not to be wondered
at, considering the close personal friend.
ship that exists between Senators Hamp
ton and Morgan and Secretary Blaine,
and the latter's hand was apparent
throughout to-day's debate. The COM
mittee's report, just printed, was oppor-
timely brought in while the fight was
the hottest, and what particularly struck
the Senators was Lieutenant Clover's
| argument showing the relationship o.
the cable and the Nicaragua canal
This paragraph especially was com.
| mented upon at length: "The island O.
Bermuda occupies in a naval point O
| view in the Atlantic some what the same
| position that the Sandwich Islands Oc
| cupy in the Pacific. Within the pas
| month or two cable has been laid from
Halifax to Bermuda by the aid of heavy
subsidies from the Engli III Government
| and another year will see this line ex
tended to naval strategic points in the
| West Indies, which will increase Englisf
| naval power in that section, where nava
control means control of either the pro
| posed Nicaragua or Panama canals Of
the terminus of the great South Ameri
| can Railroad in case of war"
The Committee on Foreign Relations
quoted Mr.. Blaine as follows: "In the
| course of events Geographic communica
| ton throughout the Pacific ocean anG
| with the shores of America. Asia anG
| Australia is Indispensable and certain tc
come. A cable joining Hawaii and the
American Continent, besides being the
shortest and least costly link in the
general chain, is by far the most i'm
portant from political point of view
and deem it OF the highest consequence
to the United States that it be promptly
constructed by American effort and with
the sanction of our Government"
The cable matter is next referred
| 70 4ho y,rAooalinpro IF tho HN., or
of Representatives on the 21st Of
February, in which it is stated that
"The Hawaiian cable proposition will
be the only item in dispute when the
Diplomatic and Consular Appropriation
bill comes into conference. At the meet.
ing OF the House Foreign Affairs Com
mittee Representative McCreary of Ken.
lucky made argument against allowing
the paragraph to remain in the bill, and
Messrs. Andrews of Massachusetts and
Hooker of Mississippi conceded in his
views. With the exception OF these
three members, however, the committee
decided to return the paragraph, but re-
duce the annual appropriation to $780,
600, as proposed by the bill which the
committee had already reported to the
| House. AS an aye and no vote will be
demanded on the proposition in the
House, and all Democrats and quite a
number OF Republicans will vote against
| it, it can only pass by small majority,
with the bare possibility of defeat. OPP
| position to this clause of the bill is that
| it gives 100000 to private corpora
ton i'll fourteen years, at the end of
which time the United States is still
without any ownership in the cable.
There is a feeling that if the cable is a
national necessity the government
should build and own it, and thus have
something to show for its investment
Ii the United States owned Pearl Harbor
by treaty it is impossible for any foreign
nation to prevent this country entering
the Hawaiian Islands with cable line
at any time.
No further reference is made to
the cable in any of the later papers
received, so far as we have been able
to discover. If so, then it has passed
the Senate, and requires the action
of the House, where the bill may be
amended and referred back to the
Senate, or it may be lost altogether
in the House.
St. Andrews Cathedral.