Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-20
LANDING OF CABLE
The Matter to Be Decided as to the Island of
Cuba.
An Interesting Discussion of the
Questions Involved in the Ilti-
mate Determination.
T. VI. rllt.r Of The E,cning Star:


pr-r.pitatvG as the result of the action of
the War Department. under Secretary Al
ger. i'm threatening TO oppose by military au-
thurity the establishment Of Il cable terInl-
nus ON the Island of cuba by an American
telegraph company The question IS 1ar-
reaching. and is of public interest in that
its correct solution must depend largely
upon the attitude which our government
rishlfuuy bears to the Island of Cuba; and
il urr-~-trIIy involves consideration OF
many delicate problems having an internal
ti-u.I as well municipal relation IL IS
mainly interesting. however. to the public
at large. in its international aspect, which
forces upon us consideration in regard To
The actual status of Cuba in its present
relation To- the mt"d states. Inc ContrD-
Err~y which is fragrant between an Amerl-
can company seeking to establish a cable
landing or terminus in Cuba and another
American corporation insisting upon eNclu-
siye rights To such privilege for period
of years. under concession OF Spain. calls
attention sharply 10 the peculiar function
and situation of submarine cables in con-
temporary life. As To the merits Of the
claims of the competing corporations the
public Is not concerned, except as large
public interests are affected. In its develop
mtHt under the skilled and SCitHtlHC man
aEemeut of American and English inVtn-
tors and mechanics, they have become
necessary arteries Of interworId commerce
and communication. juStifying all that was
claimed for them by Morse, Henry and
Field when in their infancy. Replying to
an invitation to attend a celebration COM
Ianffc cable Prof Henry who had recently
resigned a chair at Princeton to accept the
seCrrtaryShip of the Smithsonian IHsttu-
zion wrote This is a celebration such as
the world has never witnessed 1t is not
alone 10 commemorate achievements of in
diyiGuaI<. or even of nations but to mark
an epoch in the achievement of our COM
mon humanity" Like all great inventions
ana discoveries the telegraph has cnCgun-
tered the ridicule, the skepticism and oppo-
sitiou of ignorant and pig-headed individ-
ualS and governments to an extent that has
much retarded its natural progress and eyO-
tuition as a factor in social and political
cH"N' my. Notwithstanding all this, it OC-
tusI"| SuCh a space in our daily existence
that Il Is difficult To imagine a world de-
prLE-d "f MS use and enjoyment. The in
i''tt-"H'r Wnlch II daily transmits to the
ut'-TfH'~i parts OF the earth is the daily
anti -0ti 1000 OF the world.
Lt- Htrl-Sra cables nave already eXacted
tribute ia poetic expression
THE wy. kS dissolve above us: their dust
drops down from affair
Down tu the dark To the utter dark where
the blind sea snakes are
There Is no sound, no echo Of sound in the
deserts of the deep.
Ut tn" great gray level plains of OOZe where
tn" sheilbur red cables creep.
Here IN the womb Of the WOrld-here on
-h" tle-ribs Of earth
N"rl~- ana the words Of men. flicker and
- i.-,i"r and beat
warning, sorrow and gain, saIutation and
= A-.F'i--
OF q power troubles the Still that has
'-'---'tI VOICE nor Iret-
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