The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-18

val officer in an uptown hotel
the other evening, lis present
ing one startling object lesson
which our country would do
well not to overlook 1t Is perhaps
rather side-light lesson, but IL is none
the less impressive. rut in broad.
general terms. the proposition which the
lesson demonstrates Is that In case OF
war between two naval powers the one
which controls system Of submarine
cables with which to inform It's fleet OF
the strength and movements OF the enemy
will be mistress OF the seas There Is
nothing especially new in this.
writers on navel matters have time
and again pointed out that in the twenti-
eth century nation 10 he a sea power
would have to control cables as we'll az
fleets But the Transvaal war is maxi
ing this truth as obvious TO the lay mind
as to the professional IL has opened the
eyes of the people generally in all civil
lied nations that England has got prac-
tically monopoly of all the cables OF the
world. AS | said. this fact appears i'm
a sort OF side light reflected from the very
, glaring fact that not one word OF tele-
graphic news gets to or from South Az
riea which English authorities do not
choose to let through. That has set peo-
pie to thinking a little and they have dis
covered that what England Is doing I'm
South Africa she could do nearly all over
the entire globe ii she felt disposed.
Recognize Their Importance.
There Is already a lively discussion Of
the matter In Europe, particularly IN
France and IL ought to move our own
people and government to lose not IA mo-
ment in getting our own distant depen-
denotes from Puerto Rico to Hawaii and
the Philippines strung together on electric
wires all our own. which We alone would
control, The French are genuinely alarm
ed on the subject. The impression pre-
walls among them that war with England
Is rather more than one OF the remote
possibilities of the future. They know. of
course that IL would be very largely
naval war and that 1t would he fought all
over the world from the French posses
sions in China, Siam and Africa to the
French possessions in the West indies.
And from all of the possessions, save
from the insignificant ones In the West
Indies. England could instantly cut of all
Geographic communication with the OUT
side world Frances fleet would move as
completely in the dark as though the age
of electric cables had not come Eng
lands would know Just where they were
going and what they would find when
they got there. our own war with Spain
and Que efforts TO cut cuba OFF from com
munication with the world, set the
French thinking and writing on this sub
ject. The startling Transvaal object les
son has revived the discussion and given
1t tone of earnestness which ought TO
produce results.
only n few days ago NJ. Depelley, an
authority on the subject presented
Frances helpless position In this respect
so clearly and convincingIy that his ar
ticle. published In one of the leading
French periodicals. has produced a pro-
found impression. II our congressman
could spare a little time from furnishing
Aguinaldo with capital TO make his re-
cruiting lies out Of they might put IN a
little time probably IN considering the
same subject
EnGiand's Many Advantages,
III you win study cable map of the
world little YOU will see what ire
mendous power-for control OF commune
cation Is power, and "a very high order of
power England has quietly built In the
forty-two years since the first cable mes
sage was sent by the president OF the
United States 10 Queen Victoria From
that time until this, silently and seaee-
lessly, England has built up a system OF
submarine cables which today covers the
entire world and holds IL fast I'M a sort
of spiders web. of which London h the
center You will notice IN studying the
map that this marvellous system divides
Itself into three great branches. each of
which has its subdivisions For instance
trunk Of no less than ton cables con-
meets Great Britain with this country and
the British possessions on the north
From thi divefge various wires. az to
Bermuda and the West Indies.
From London hy way ~ Spain and
Portugal, three more lines stretch ia
Brazil and spread out through the West
Indies and TO Central America on the
north and down the coast to Montevideo
on the south. From MOntevideo, across
the South American continent. there ls
an English land line TO Valparaiso Prom
Valparaiso northward there II a double
line. touching at ali the principal points
on the south American Pacific coast up