The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-03-16
new CABLE PROJECT.
Five Nations Will Join In an
American Enterprise.
EXPECT TO SHUT OUT ENGLAND,

Russia, France, Japan, Hawaiian and
United Strtes Capitalists Will Lay a Paci.
fc Cable-Jspanese Taking Active Inter.
est In the Matter-Russia's Interest Re.
garded the Most Important.
WASHINGTON, March 1O.-When con.
gress failed to provide for laying the
Hawaiian cable it by no means ended
the question. On the contrary. it has
brought forward a project Of interna.
tional Importance by which Russia,
France, Japan and Hawaii will join in
an American enterprise for laying a
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.
Negotiations with these government
have proceeded quietly, but with ST.
satisfactory results that they are W
along toward completion. A numba-
conferences have been held with tn
officials of the japanese legation here
and several phases Of the negotiation
are now under discussion between To.
kio and Washington. Minister Kurino
is much interested in the Project. It is
probable five Or six Of the most in1uen-
tial and wealthy Japanese merchants
will be named among the incorporators.
France has also been interested and
in the course of the negotiations she
made a suggestion to Hawaii that
French interests will be better sub
served by having the cable go via the
United States instead of Vancouver
route, which would be controlled by
Great Britain. The chief interest Of
France is in securing cable connections
with Tahiti and her other Pacific possess
sions and with her naval rendezvous,
which is now cut off from communion
ton.
Russia's Interest in the Project.
Russia's interest in the project are re-
garded as even more Important than
those Of Japan Or France. Russia's
cable communication with the Western
Hemisphere is now westward through
London Or Paris, and this filtering of
all their Jews and official messages,
through London in particular, has long
been a source of irritation. The Rus.
sian imperial family already have a
cable from V~aldivostock, the easterly
point of Siberia to Japan, SO the new
line would give Russia through cable
communication eastward instead of
through London or Paris.
The military and strategic Importance
of this is very great, for should Russia
be arrayed against the triple alliance
she could not communicate westward to
the outward world, but could always
communicate eastward to the United
States and to France. Hawaii is also
interested III the enterprise, as she re-
CARDS it as a practical realization of he:
efforts to communicate with the outer
world. The United States congress has
failed to act and it also declined to va
cate 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 othei
leading men of Hawaii.
The foregoing gives the international
scope to the enterprise. The American
branch is IN a similarly broad line Ad-
miral John Irwin, who wrote the cable
report when in command of our fleet in
Hawaii, and General Roy Stone, are
principally interested in the enterprise
in Washington. With them are asso-
ciated President Alvord Of the Bank Of
California and the vice president of the
bank, the president and vice president
of the San Francisco chamber of COM
merce, John D. Spreckels, son of Claus
S%preckels, Herman Oelrichs, son in law
of the late Senator Fair, and other mil