The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-05-04
CABLE FRANCHISE.

Great as is the desire of all OF us
for cable from the United States 20
Hawaii it behooves us to move care
fully in the matter of granting eNcln-
siye privileges The Senate commit
tee, to whose care the Cable Bill has
been referred. seems to have given
special consideration to the matter.
The original bill asked for an eXclu-
sive franchise for twenty years be-
tween these Islands and Japan and
any other Islands of the Pacific Ocean.
The modified bill excludes all Islands
of the Pacific Ocean that lie south OF
the tenth degree of north latitude. All
the islands north of that parallel
which may be necessary for the pur-
poses of stations for the cable between
the Hawaiian Islands and Japan will
of course be included in the twenty
wears exclusive franchise.
In common with all those who
look carefully at the future and who
have learned lessons from the past,
The Star looks with considerable sus-
picion upon exclusive privileges grant
ed by franchise. Many and many
state has sold its birthright for a mess
of pottage in such matters. Exclusive
franchises have been the stock in
trade of every President and Dictator
in the Central American and South
ern American States. If you only
take trip through those countries,
YOU will find men with their pockets
bullying with exclusive franchises.
And not only have Central American
and South American States suffered
from the sale or alienation of eXclu-
sive franchise, but in the less impress
sionable North there have been deal
ings of a similar character, which
have been a source of bother and irri-
tation.
Recognizing the dangers of the eN-
elusive franchise. one naturally looks
with some care at the proposal made
by the Pacific Cable Company in its
l
asked for. but it is for a very limited
number of years. What are twenty
years in the life of a cable or of a
nation. An exclusive franchise for
the short period of twenty years be-
tween these Islands and Japan is very
different from an exclusive franchise
for a much longer period between the
Islands and the Coast, or these Is
lands and the rest of the world. Yet
there was time when we would have
been ready to grant an exclusive fran
chise between the Islands and the
United States.
Looked at carefully most people
will agree with the report of the com
mittee. The request of the Pacific
Cable Company is moderate. By
granting it we do not tie ourselves up
in the future. As long as we get ca
BILE communication with the Coast, it
matters very little to us whether we
have direct cable communication with
Japan or not. What we want is to tap
the worlds arteries and become an in
tegral portion of the pulsatng whole
of the world. Give us communication
by cable with the Coast and we lose
our provincialism. We are at the
meeting point of some of the worlds
great highways, but we cannot make
the best of our natural advantages,
because we are dependent on the slow
method of steam instead of upon the
electric current for supplying us with
information from the outer world.
OF the many propositions for cable
communication with the Coast. the
present seems the most modest and
the most satisfactory yet put forth
1t is backed by ample capital and
must have strong reasons, outside 81
the mere mercantile view of offering
to do the work on the terms propos
ed. There is such a thing as being
too cautious. People in making a bar
gain have been known to overreach
themselves. The committee of the
Senate seems to have hit upon the
happy mean. The bill as amended
should pass and give us the opportu
nifty of becoming a part of the great
world,