The record-union., 1891-03-04
PACIFIC CABLE BILL.
THE HOUSE REFUSES TO PASS THE
MEASURE.
General Hartwen Says the Cable Will
Not be Laid Without Gov
ernment Aid.
Special to the REcoRD-USIoN.

WASHINGTON, March 3.-Contrary to
the expectations of Representative Nor
row, the cable bill was defeated in the
House this afternoon. The unanimous
vote by which the House refused to ac-
cept the Senate amendment yesterday,
granting a subsidy of S250,00O annually
to any responsible cable company desir-
ing to lay cable, seemed very discour-
aging, but Morrow and Hartwell seemed
hopeful that the matter could be satisfac-
torily settled in conference, and that the
conference report would be adopted by
both houses.
At O'Clock this afternoon Hit, Chair
man of the Foreign Affairs Committee,
presented conference report granting
subsidy of Sl50,090, provided that an
amount equal to one-third of this should
be furnished by the Kingdom of Hawaii,
the Government having a right to pur-
chase the cable at cost after its compile
ton.
Hit spoke earnestly in favor of the
| adoption of the report, and was followed
by Morrow. He sad he preferred not to
treat the cable proposition as strictly a
Pacific Coast interest, but as one affecting
the interests of the entire country, COM
mercially and politically. He urged the
Government to act in good time and pre-
vent Hawaii becoming Bermuda for
foreign power.
Morrow said that the laying of this
cable would stimulate trade not only
with Hawaii, but with eleven hundred
other fruitful islands of the Pacific. In
| answer to Herbert of Alabama Morrow
| said that it would not re subsidy to
| General Hartwell or his company, but
the money would be placed in the hands
of the President to use in his discretion.
McCreary opposed the bill stoutly, and
said 1t was the worst subsidy he had
heard of during his whole career in Con-
gress. He said the Atlantic and all other
cables had been built without Govern
ment aid. He dragged old Don. Celso
Caesar Moreno's name before the House,
and said he and others were willing to
lay cable without Government aid. But
here came a proposition to grant, to give,
S3,000,0 600 to q cable in which the Govern
ment would have no ownership. The
House Ito its credit be it said) voted down
this infamous provision yesterday, but
now the Conference Committee, with
sublime cheek, asked the House to agree
to a subsidy of Sl50.000 annually.
Under the provisions of the bill before
the House the Government would have
no voice in its construction or control of
the cable after its completion. No report
was required to be made to the Govern
ment, and the amount of capital was not
named in the bill, nor was it known who
would get the money appropriated by the
Government, for the reason that in this
latter proposition advanced by the Senate
the incorporators were not named. The
bill made no provision by which the cable
company could be enjoined from mort
gaging or otherwise disposing of it's prop
erty. What security would the Govern
ment have that its three millions would
not be utterly thrown away? No one
/ l.
If the cable was completed from Homo
lulu to Samoa, Japan and China, there
was no guarantee that the Government
would have the same rights and privi-
leges that it would enjoy over this pro-
posed line from San Francisco to Homo
lulu.
McCreary denounced the bill as simply
a gratuity to a gang of lobbyists who We're
then infesting the corridors of the Capt.
tol.
Morrow interrupted, and challenged
McCreary to name afew Of these lobby
lists.
McCreary answered: 'sHartwell is one
of them"
Morrow said: ''Oh, yes, and he is all
that you can name, and is the only one
that is here in the interest of the cable
lie has q concession granted him by
Hawaii, and comes here as business
! man to lay like proposition before Con-
category of lobbyists
Chipman Dem.) of Michigan followed
McCreary and advocated the passage of
the cable bill, which would build up our
commercial and political prestige on the
islands, and prevent the English gaining
control.
Darnell of Minnesota followed in the
same vein.
Hoover of Mississippi opposed the
proposition.
At $50 the previous question was or
dered on the following resolution by Me-
Creary:
ReS0lUed, That the House disagree on
the Hawaiian cable amendment to the
diplomatic appropriation bill, and that
the House conterees be instructed TO adj
here to this determination.
The vote resulted so disastrously to the
friends of the Pacific cable that no further
attempt viii be made to pass it.
General Hartwell, President of the pro-
posed cable company, was asked if the
cable would be built without Govern
ment aid.
NO" said he.
Hartwel left for Boston tonight.