The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-13
new PACIFIC CABLE
ROOSEVELT AND KNOX CONSIDER
ING THE PACIFIC COMMERCIAL
COMPANY'S APPLICATION
LINE TO ASIA IS NEEDED
Attorney General Holds That Cable
Monopoly in Philippines Grant
ed by Spanish Government
Is Invalid.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12AAttorney Cen
eral Knox had a long conference with
President Roosevelt today in regard to
the application of the Pacific Commercial
company to lay a cable from the United
States to the Philippines, by way of Ha-
waii and Guam. Nh. Knox advised the
president to take no action at present,
but to await further information as to
the purpose of the company after its ca
bic was completed to the Philippines. 1t
is deemed desirable to know whether it
would extend its own line to China or
would make some arrangement with the
English company that already had a ca
BE from Hongkong to Manila.
The attorney general regarded it as
very important that there should be a
complete line from the United States to
the Philippines and the continent of Asia
as in case of war it might be necessary
for the United States not only to control
cable line to the Philippines. but also
to control line from the Philippines to
China or some other point in Asia
The matter of the Spanish concessions
granted in 1888 to the Eng ish COMPANY
giving it an exclusive franchise for ca
bic connections in the Philippines. was
carefully considered. Attorney General
Knox advised the president that this ex-
elusive franchise would not hold. He cited
the recent action by the Transvaal COM
mission, which he'd that the concessions
granted by the Boer government in the
Transvaal would not be recognized as
valid by the British government
The probability is that no definite ac-
ton will be taken by the president in re-
latien to the company's proposition until
the company shall have made clear its in
tentions regarding the cable line between
the Philippines and China.
NAVAL DDOCDENEN6T
1t is probable that liberal building
policy with respect to naval ships will be
urged upon congress at the approac ching
session. No authorization for new con-
struction was given by congress at the
last session, owing in part to disagree
ment as to the respective merits of single
and superposed turrets. Congress content
ed itself with a direction to the navy de-
partment to submit full plans for two
battleships and two armored CT Tsers to
it at the approaching session, as that
body itself could choose between the do
signs. Secretary Long, however, does not
regard himself as estopoed by this direc-
uon from recommending the construction
of additional warships. and as a full wear
mas oeen lost in the execution of the ma
val building scheme laid down by the
policy board, and as more time has been
lest through the great DELAY in constrl1c-
ton of the ships already authorized an6
contracted Cor. owing to the steel strike.
a considerable increase must be recon-
mended in order to avoid falling hopeless
ly behind in the erection Of the ideal
American navy
FLAGS AT FULL MAST.
The thirty days period of mourning
prescribed by President Roosevelt in re-
spect to the memory of the late Presi-
oent Mckinley will expire tomorrow and
the flags on all the government buildings
winch have been half masted since the
18th ulto. will be displayed again at full
mast beginning Monday Morning. With
the exception of the state department the
use of black bordered mourning paper ir
official correspondence will be diseon.
tinued in all the executive departments
after today. By a special order issued b,
the secretary of state the diplomatic anc