St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-09
CABLE TO BE LAID.
Hawaii Will Soon Be Able to
Talk to the Outer
World.
AN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIR
In Which Russia, France and
Japan Are With Uncle
Sam.
FROM SHORE TO SHORE.
Cable Will Connect San Fran
cisco With Some Point in
Japan.

contrary, it has brought forward a
project of international Importance,
by which Russia, France, Japan and
Hawaii will join in an American en-
terpriSe for laying Il cable from the
United States to Hawaii and thence
to Japan, with branch cables to the
French islands and extensive naval
stations in the Southern Pacific.
The negotiations with these gov
ernments have proceeded quietly, but
with such satisfactory results that
they are well along toward compile
ton. A number of conferences have
been held with the officials Of the
Japanese legation here, and several
phases of the subject are nov under
negotiation between Toxic and
Washington. Minister Kurino is
much interested in the project. 1t
is probable that five or six of the
most influential and wealthy Japan
csc merchants will be named among
the incorporators.
France has also been interested
and in the course of the negotia- |
tons she has made a significant sug-
geStion to Hawaii to the effect that !
French interests will be better sub |
served by having the cable go via |
the United States instead of the Van |
couver route, which would be con-
trolled by Great Britain. The chief |
interest of France is in securing |
cable connections with Tahiti and |
her other Pacific possessions and her
naval rendezvous, which is now cut
off from communication.
RUSSIA'S INTERESTS
in the project are regarded as even
more important than those of Japan
or France. Russia's cable communi-
cation with the Western hemisphere
is now eastward, through London or
Paris, and this filtering of all her
news and official messages, through
London in particular, has long been
a source of irritation. The Russian
imperial family already have a cable
from VladiVoStock, the easterly point
of Siberia, to Japan, so that the new
line would give Russia through cable
communication eastward instead of
through London or Paris. The mill
tary and strategic Importance of this
is very great, for should Russia be
arrayed against the triple alliance
she could not communicate westward
to the outer world, but could always
maintain communication eastward
to the United States and to France.
Hawaii is also interested in the en-
terprise, as this little country re-
CARDS it as practical realization of
her efforts to communicate with the
outer world. The United States con-
gress failed to act, and it also de-
clined to Vacate the treaty in order
to let Great Britain build the cable.
Under these circumstances the new
enterprise, with Russia, France and
Japan joining, has commended itself
to Minister Thurston, the Hawaiian
minister, and to other leading men
of Hawaii. The foregoing gives the
international scope of the enterprise
THE AMERICAN BRANCH
is on similarly broad lines. Admiral
John Irwin, U. S. N, who wrote the
fleet in Hawaii, and Gen. Keystone
are principally interested in the en-
terprise in Washington. With them
are Associated President Alvrod, of
the Bank of California, and the vice
president of the bank; also the preSi-
dent and vice president of the San
Francisco chamber of commerce;
Tnhro Of
SpreckelS; Herman Oelrichs, son-in-
law of the late Senator Fair, and
other millionaire capitalists besides
these will be several of the wealthy
Japanese capitalists heretofore men
toned. Negotiations are also in
progress which cannot now be made
public, by which financial house
the projectors.
The principal work o: organization
is being consummated here in Wash
ington. The only question at present
is whether the incorporation shall be
under the state laws of New York,
New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia or
California. Their advantages are be-
ing compared and the corporation will
be under the state law most favor
able. An effort was made few days
before congress expired to secure a
national incorporation, but it was de-
MED, as it threatened at that time to
be harmful to the government cable
project then in conference committee.
1t was not known at that time that
France, Russia, Japan and Hawaii
were interested in the project. But
the failure to secure a national charter
has in no way checked the enterprise
The organization will be under the
state laws as heretofore stated, and
the arrangements are so far along
that the filing of the articles of in
corporation will be during the present
month.
The contamination of the plans,
which are now made known for the
first time, cannot fail to
AROUSE KEEN INTEREST
in Great Britain and throughout Eu-
rope. The British project of a cable
starting from Vancouver appears to
be ended with the failure. of the SEN
ate to modify our treaty with Hawaii
so as to let the British cable land on
Neckar island. The only recourse for
Great Britain would be to induce Ha-
wall to break this treaty obligation
with the United States, but it is known
positively that this will not be done.
Instead, therefore, if a British cable
across the Pacific as has long seemed
imminent, France, Russia, Japan and
Hawaii are now uniting with Amer
lean enterprise to execute this work
of vast. commercial and military i'm
portance.