The record-union., 1891-02-14
THE PACIFIC CABLE.
GENERAL HARTwELL CONFIDENT
THE BILL WILL PASS.
If Such be the Case the New Line
VIII be Finished by
January 1St.
Special to the REcoRD-UNIoN.

Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13.-The President
of the Pacific Cable Company, General
Hartwell, said tonight TO your CORE
spordent that he believed the bill reported
by the committee would pass Congress.
There is one thing about it you will
observe" he said. 'The special commit
tee appointed to make report were prac-
tically Eastern men, and they have con-
sidered the matter from a purely national
standpoint. The Chairman of the sub
committee is a Michigan Democrat, and
is in favor of the bill with its subsidy
feature. He wisels concludes. as
you have heard him say. that
there is not subsid in an obnoxious
sense which is opposed by Democrats on
general principles, but you will see that
members from whom we had feared op-
position are broad enough to grasp the
importance of the question, and are far
enough above party prejudice to give us
support. / now refer to q number of
leading Democrats in the House, who
have expressed themselves as favorable.
Some Of the rank and file of the Demo-
cratic members will no doubt appear in
opposition, but the Republicans will vote
IN the affirmative almost solid"
1t is learned that letter was presented
to McCreary yesterday morning from his
friend, Marvin Green, of the Western
Union Company. The letter was to the
effect that the Western Union had no OBJ
lection to the bill, and rather favored it.
Green had no financial interest in the
matter, nor did he expect to have, but
stated that English and Canadian capital
contemplated a similar enterprise, and it
would be much better for the United
states, commercially, to have control of
the Pacific cable. 1t would in this way
gain stronger hold on the trade of the
Pacific Ocean, and, in addition to the
commercial influence, would enable the
United States to increase its political
standing with the Sandwich Islands.
Green urged McCreary to consider the
matter carefully, and if possible to offer
no opposition. 1t is now thought Me
Creary will not make a bitter fight.
The fact that the Western Union Com
pany will not fight the bill is quite
point in its favor. 1t is also thought that
John Mackay viii at least remain quiet
for the reason that the Pacific cable,
backed by American capitalists, will be
OF general benefit TO the country, and in
this way benefit all telegraph companies,
as they will share in the transpacific
business.
Hartwell said that if the bill passed the
company would lose no time in getting
TO work. Lieutenant Clover of the
Chlted states Navy has assured himthat
the sounGings can be made, giving all in
formation desired, within three months
after commencing the work.
The Secretary of the Navy has prom
Ised to do this work without delay 1t is
calculated that within eight months after
awarding the contract to the construction
company, the cable Will be completed to
Honolulu, and in General Hartwell's
language: You can just tell your peo-
plein the morning that if the bill goes
through we will be ready for business by
New Years morning. and on that occa-
sion we viii send a happy New Year
message from the Chamber of Commerce
of San Francisco to the same organization
at Honolulu
Cecil Brown, member of the Hawaiian
Legislature, says there is no truth in the
statement that his Government is under
contract with England to give a subsidy
of $4,000 annually for fifteen years. 4
bill to that effect had been passed in 1887,
containing provision to continue until
the first day of the present year. The
English Government had been notified
that the time had expired, but the
Hawaiian made no attempt to renew it,
He had no doubt but that the English
people would like very much to have the
proposition extended, but his Govern
ment was now dealing with the United
States only.