Evening star., 1896-12-15

ntxation, because II is so plainly for the
best political. social and business interests
OF the islands. and so clearly demanded by
the interests of the United States that il
Is folly. for Englishmen to resist the drift In
that direction.
Don't Know Nckinley's Elected.
Just now, We are being made keenly SEN
sibie of our misfortune In lacking cable
communication with the rest of the world.
and especially with our mother country.
Our last mail Is a fortnight old by reason
OF an unusual gap between arrivals from
the coast. The Australia. now due, will
bring us two weeks mail and now, thir-
teen Gays after the presidential election
with Its great issues, We are still In ignor-
ance Of the result. Although We are sorry
to have our honored guest. Mr.. John w
Foster, put to so much Inconvenience, there
is not lacking a slight element of satisfac-
ton in having him share our sufferings IN
this respect, and know how 1t is himself -
actly the right time to receive a very prac-
tical experience of one of our great necessi-
ties. Probably he has not for twenty years
been anywhere that he could not have
learned who was to be President the day
after election.
II does seem a little hard upon US, that
after forbidding us to receive cable COM
munication by British aid via Necker
iSidIu. tne united states Sn0ulQ not nave
adopted either one of the leading measures
brought before the last Congress to sup
ply our need. Probably Mr.. Foster will be
prepared to make himself useful to us in
furthering cable matters during the coming
session of Congress. as he Is In conference
with this government and our leading bust
ness men upon the subject. or the precise
nature OF his proposed plans I may be able
to give some definite Information before
closing this letter. Meantime. he has been
absorbing information and taking observa-
tions about our affairs here. which will
make him a valuable counsellor to the gov
ernment and Congress upon all questions
relating to Hawaii.
1t Is understood that Mr. Fosters views
about cable connection extend far beyond
the plans of Col. Spalding, who holds a
conditional concession from this govern
ment for a cable to Hawaii only. Mr.. Fos-
ters So1ourn last year in China and Japan
must have given him a vivid sense of the
Importance of direct cable communication
from the Pacific coast to those countries
One cannot but quite clearly foresee that
there must be created in the near future
a very extensive system of cables connect
ing your Pacific coast with Asiatic and
Australian ports, most IL not all of which
cables must land near Honolulu the
chief way station. II will not be strange II
within ten years there shall be more than
one such cable from California to Japan,
in addition to one or more between the
coast and Australasia. This is one of the
clements which. in addition to the Mica
ragua canal, will greatly transform the
conditions of commerce in Honolulu and
the north Pacific. While there is no land
ing place in the 2 100 miles between San
Francisco and Honolulu there are much
shorter intervals available for cable sta
tions upon islands along the rest of the
routes to both Asia and Australia.
Later.-It turns out that Mr.. Foster is
here to represent the Pacific Gable Com
pany of New Jersey. of which Il. s. Spaid-
ing is president and l.. A. Thurs:on the
Honolulu attorney. Messrs. Foster ana
Thurston have asked the government for
very large extensions of the con cession
already granted. At a meeting of leading
business men those propositions have been
very strongly and decidedly negatived, as
press DISPATCHES going by this mail will
show. KAMEHAMEHA-