Evening star., 1898-11-19
u AL AN ISLAM D
One Of the Caroline Group in the
Pacific Needed.
IT'S VALUE ASA fELEGRAPHIC STATION
Necessity for the United States to
Own Cable Lines.
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

Many serious problems confront the ad
ninstration in connection with the pro-
posed acquisition of the Philippines. Not
the least of these is to provide for some
better means of communicating with that
far distant territory 1t is too far away to
rely entirely upon the mails, and the only
telegraphc communication row possible is
over ines owned and controlled by foreign
countries. No argument is required to show
the folly of complete dependence on the
favor Of a foreign power for rapid commu
nication between central government and
one of its outlying colo hes But for the
use of the British cable system in the east
1t would be impossible for the administra-
ton at Washington to communicate with
its representatives in Manila without great
loss of valuable time. Indeed, if compelled
to depend on it's own resources, it would
have to wait until a vessel steamed from
san Francisco to Manila and back, a voy-
age of about forty days, Under the most
favorable circumstances, before answer
could be received from it's representatives
in the Philippines. Conditions may easily
be imagined which would make such a de-
lay almost criminal in these days of quick
communication. The United States is in
close touch with Manila today thanks to
its friends in the eastern hemisphere, but
1t is not at all impossible that information
contingencies might arise which would
completely deprive this country of its pres
ent Geographic privileges in the orient. We
should then be worse off in respect to the
philippines than we were in the case of the
Hawaiian Islands during the progress of
the annexation negotiations, when the lack
OF cable connection at times seriously jeop-
ard!Zed the success of the scheme which
the American people had SO much at heart
iced of an American cable.
The absolute need of an American cable
line to the American possessions in the Pa
cihc ocean for commercial, well as for
military, purposes, is acknowledged by all
the officials Of the administration who have
studied TIE subject, ard the list includes
the President and all his principal advisers
OF the number. those naturally most inter-
eEted in the subject are the Secretaries of
State, Treasury, War and Navy, for the
reason that tho business of those depart
n1ents in the new possessions will require
prompt and almost constant communica-
ton. \ cable between San Francisco and
Honolulu is assured i'll the near future, and
no serious difficulties are apprehenGed on
that score.
The question that troubles the anthori-
ties is the esta 5lishment of cable connec-
iCn between Honolulu and MarHa. Ii is
agreed on all sides that the connection
must be made III the interests of ;he gov
erLment. but there is a conflict of opinion
as to how il shall be DONE The main OBJ
between the two points There are serious
physical difficulties in laying and main
tanning cable of that length. Experts say
it is an impossibility. Consequently the
promoters of the project are devoting the
principal attention at present to the Sc
lection Of an island in the mid-Pacific
which is both convenient and available for
landing the cable and establishing an in
termediate station.
Another Island Needed.
have exclusive control of the proposed
transpacifc cable, it is essential that alf
the stations shall be established on United
States soil. 1t is scarcely betrayal of
official secrets to say that the above condi-
tion can not be met without the acquire
ment of one or more of the small islands
in the mid-Pacfic rot now under the juris-
diction of the United States, either by
cessiOn from Spain as a result of the re-
cent war, or otherwise. An important fac
tor in the matter is the desirabiity of hav
ing tie proposed line connect with Guam,
an Island of the LadrOne group seized by
the United States during the war and ced-
ed to this country as a result of the peace
negotiations now dragging their slow
length along in Paris. This island is a
considerable distance south of the line be-
tween Honolulu and Manila, and connec-
ton with 1t will necessitate wide detour.
In the absence of known available territory
in a more direct route. however, it is diff
cult to see how this deviation can be
avoided.
Although Guam might easily be utilized
as a cable station between Honolulu and
Manila, it is said to be too far from Homo
lulu to admit of the laying of cable with
any hope of success, thus practically nulli-
flying the whole scheme unless some place
still nearer Honolulu can be secured for the
purpose.
One of the Caroline Group.
this character that the officers of the ad-
mnistration have given favorable consid-
Grafton to proposition looking to the
peaceful acquisition of Ualan or Strong Is
land, the easternmost island of the Caro-
line group, at present under the sovereignty
of Spain. The manifold advantages of
ITALIAN to the United States in connection
with the government of its new possessions
were strongly impressed upon President Nc
Kinley and Secretary Hay by Mr.. Edmund
L. Baylies of the Pacific Gable Company
and other gentlemen interested in the COM
mercial development of the United States
in that part of the world. Although that
island was not considered in the prepara-
tion of the protocol of August ~, and there
fore is not subject to the peace negotia-
tions under way at Paris, President McKin-
ley was so favoraby Impressed with the
desirability Of it's acquisition by the United
States that ne instructed the American
peace commissioners to bring the matter to
the attention of the Spanish commissioners
in an unofficial way, in order to ascertain if
Spain would entertain a proposition for its
ceSsion to the United States for a reason
able cash consideration.
A Proposition Sidetraeked
Fhe proposition was to be purely tenta-
tive and was only to be submitted in case
the Spanish commissioners were perfectly
willing to consider negotiations of the char
acter indicated. 1t is impossible to get Of
fetal Information on the subject, but there
is reason for the belief that the proposition
was completely sidetracked by the negotia-
tions over the more important questions of
the sovereign rights of Spain in Cuba and
the Philippines. So far as known, the pro-
posed transfer of Ualan to the United
States has, therefore, not yet been formally
broached to the Spanish government How
such proposition win be received can only
be conjectured. There is authority for the
statement, however, that the United States
will not take forcible possession of the
island except as war measure in the event
of resumption of hostilites. While the
possession Of Ualan would simplify the
problem of a Pacific cable, that island is
rot absolutely necessary to the success of
the project. The administration has other
available places in view, but for reasons of