Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-29
USTG0T0W WORK
BUILD FLEETS AND FORTS AND
LAY CABLE
IF We WOULD WIN COMMERCE.
Must Be Prepared to Haul Our Own
Products, Direct and Protect
Them.

New York, Oct. ga special to the
Herald from Washington says: An
e earnest plea for a government cable
across the Pacific ocean is made by Lieut..
John Hood of the navy, who performed
notable work in the survey which def
nitely established a satisfactory route
in an article published in the current
number of the Proceedings of the Naval
Institute.
IF we wish to secure ourselves against
all ~eventualities and be fully equipped
to take our part successfully in the strug-
gle of races that the inevitable laws of
evolution force us to enter, let u.s. says
Lieut.. Hood, not only FORTH our ports,
build fleets and equip armies. but let
us by all means prepare the way TO
render these fleets and armies efficient
and capable of their ultimate usefulness
by supplying them with the safe. sure
and prompt information SO necessary to
any successful undertaking. The only
way to attain this end with certainty
and success is for the government to
lay and operate its own cables and to
construct, equip and man its own cable
ships: and the beginning Of this work
cannot be made too SOON
Lieut.. Hood takes a very pessimistic
view of the chances of cable legislation.
For a time, he says, it seemed probable
that action would be taken, but now it
may be safely said all cable legislation
is dead for the present and is more than
likely TO rernain dead for a long time
to come While a merry fight goes on be-
tween the opposing ideas Of government
n pI q te ownership.
"FOr SINE IpfanSa' he confines 'bnth
for our own coasts and of our island
possessions, it is absolutely necessary
for the American fleet to have perfect
freedom of movement to all parts of our
coasts. To carry out any design for
the protection and extension of our in
fiuence in our far distant possessions,
it is necessary to have absolutely sure
communication between our fleets and
our seat of government. The former of
these objects can only be attained by
the construction of an inter-oceanic
canal II a Pacific cable"
Lieut.. Hood calls attention to the fact
that surety and secrecy can only be at
tanned by a cable owned, controlled n
worked by the government itself, by it's
own agents.
admiral Cervera's book" he says,
SHOWS how utterly impossible it is in
time of war to preserve secrecy With
private cables. In spite of all efforts
of this government to isolate Cuba and
uppres all dispatches regarding the
movements of our ships, we are aston
ished to find how infinitely Gen. Blanco
and Adniral Cervera We're informed of
the movements of our ships and squad
rons, even on our own coasts. From a
military point of view the question is
most important. No foreigner or alien
of any description shout be allowed to
have any connection with the line in
any capacity whatever. It's direction and
operation should be American, pure and
simple, or betrayal of trusts will surely
follow. One other great military advan-
tage of a national over a private cable
Is the possession by the government of
properly equipped and manned cable
ships In the conflicts of the future the
cable and cable ship are destined tc
play a part hardly secondary to tina,
of the army and navy 1t may be taker
as an axiom in future wars betweer
nations with outlying possessions that
a cable war will go on side by side with
the military operations, and that the ma.
ton which has failed to provide itself
with cables and cable-laying and cuttins
apparatus will be worsted."