New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-10-02
SUED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
CABLE LINES MADE DEFENDANTs-AN-
ALLEGED CONSPIRACY AND At
TEMPTED MONOPOLY

BY direction Of Attorney General Judson Harmon
United States District-Attorney Wallace Maciar-
lane has filed in the Office OF John A. Shields 'ierh
Of the United States Circuit Court "A bill OF COM
plant In a suit brought by tho United States against
La Compagne Francaise DIES Gables telegraph
iques the United States and Hayu Telegraph ana
Cable Company, and the United States and Hayu
Cable Company
The complaint alleges that the defendant com
panes are conspirng together for the purpose OF
monopolizinG a part of the trade and commerce DE-
tween the United States ard foreign nations TO the
injury of the people and business interests or this
country
An Injunction to prevent the defendants from car
rying out their alleged unlawful agreement. ana
from establishing their connecting cables on the
shores OF the United States, is asked for.
These cables have been laid and are owned by La
Compagnie FRANCHISE des Cables TeieS:aph'ques
under concessions from various countries. giving
the company the exclusive right TO lana ana 10
operate them between those countries and the
United States from periods OF from twenty-five TO
sixty years from the dates OF concessions. which
were granted between 1858 and 1890. BY these con-
ccssions American countries or citizens are
permitted land lines of submarine cable In those
countries
A bill is now pending in Congress for the purpose
of defeating the object Of the combination 1t Is
understood in ca ole circles in this city that this suit
will involve a bitter fight between the Western
Union Telegraph Company and the United States
and Hayu Telegraph and Gable Company, of which
John W. Mackay Is the president and the principal
part The directors of the latter company officers
Of directors of the Commercial Cable and POST Il
Telegraph Company. The United States and Hayt
Telo graph and Cable Company was originally in
corpora ted In Virginia the United States and
Hayti Cable Company. Mir. Mackay afterward de-
mined TO rcincorporate IL under the laws OF this
State and under tho new name. which he did In
July last.
The change in name made. it possible to extend
the enterprise as to provide for telegraph line
between this city and Boston as stated in July by
George Capperton traffic manager Of the CONNER
cal Cable Company The plan of Mr.. Mackay. as
then reported was to run the telegraph line from
this city to Coney Island and thence as cable to
Hayt Between Hayti and Cuba runs the cable OF
La Societe FRANCHISE des Telegraphes Sousmarns.
whose rights have been acquired by the Mackay In
terest The value of this acquisition is shown in
the fact that the International Ocean Telegraph
Company, which has cable from Florida 10 Cuba
with exclusive rights. Is controlled by the Western
Union Company. according TO the statements made
by Mr.. Clapperon in July. BY the union OF the
Mackay interest and that OF the French company
the Western Union is shut off from Hayti rs con-
Meeting link in the chain to reach South America
by telegraph by this avenue. while the Mackay IN
terest is placed in position to lay a6le Of its own
from Cuba to Florida II Is fairly well known thar
Mr.. Mackays ultimate plans involve cable from
Hayti TO the South American coast
Mr.. Clapperton declined to say anything on the
subject yesterday. He intimated that there might
be news about it before long