The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-03-17

result of this conference was not en-
tirely satisfactory to Sir Audley. He
continued on his journey by the Mono
wal at midnight Saturday. Before leav-
ing he gave the Advertiser reporter a
twenty minutes interview.
In response to question he said:
Il have been at the capital, as you
no doubt know, working in the interests
of cable line from the United States to
Japan, via Honolulu. There are two
bills now in the hands of the committee
on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
One of them, Colonel Spalding fathers.
But, regret to say, those bills clash to
such an extent that am afraid nothing
will come of either of them.
The presidential convention will be
held in June, and Congress will adjourn
before then, and will not convene again
until December"
Did you gain the impression, Sir
Audley, that Congress is really anxious
to have a cable built between the islands
ana the main lana ,!
"Yesl The members are more or less
anxious, but there is so much just now
of an international character which, in
their opinion is of greater Importance
and requiring more immediate atten-
ton.
"A dozen or more members, when
urged to give the cable bills some atten-
ton, asked me if considered a cable to
Hawaii of greater Importance to the
United States than the Nicaragua canal
or the Cuban revolution. The fact is
Hawaii is so far from the seat of gov
eminent in the United States that i'm
agine it will take almost continual prod
ding and reminding on the part of your
Minister Hatch to keep the fact that
Hawaii is in the march of progress, and
that cable is one of the essentials of
success, in the minds of members
"On the part of the Republican mem
bers of the House and Senate there is an
apparent aversion to taking on any out
side responsibility at the close of the
Democratic administration. The Demo-
cratic members devote their time to
foreign affairs of a character outside
cable matters.
There is not a member of the COM
mittee in whose hands the cable meas
ures now rest who knows anything
about cable building, nor is there an in
dividual, firm or corporation in the
United States engaged in laying cables
so that if the Spalding or any other
measure passes it is likely they will
have to have the cable laid by others
than people of the United States"
You know, of course, that the pref
erence of this government is for Ameri
can enterprise and capital to bring the
building of the cable to Hawaii to sue
cessful completion"
Quite well do know it, but the anti
English feeling does not exist as strong
here as it does in the United States.
And let me ask you whether it will make
any difference to the masses whether
the means of transmitting business
messages, or news for that matter. is
the result of American brains and
money or English brains and money.
Or for the matter of that, suppose it is
divided, conceding the brains and enter
prise to America and the money from |
England. Do you imagine that the in
dividual who receives a cable order for |
q thousand pounds worth of goods or |
machinery over cable line built with |
British gold would decline to fill it be-
cause the capital was not from the
United States?
"Or do you think for an instant that
the people who read their morning
journal at the breakfast table would de-
cline to gaze on the telegraphic dis
patches to or from Hawaii because
American dollars were not used in the
construction of the line? l hardly be-
lieve that to be the case. This is an
age of sentiment to certain extent. but