The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-02-17
CABLE ACROSS
THE PACIFIC
Report Says 1t Is Duty of Gov
eminent to Maintain Peace.
SURVEYS HAVE BEEN MADE
PRACTICABLE ROUTE HAS BEEN
LAID OUT.
SURVEYS HAVE BEEN MADE

IjASHINGTON. Feb. 15.-The report 90
w be filed tomorrow by the house com
mittee on interstate and foreign
! commerce, recommending the passage o.
the bill introduced by Representative Cor
iiss providing for government ownership
Of Pacific cable. says that the United
! States, by the annexation Of Hawaii and
the acquisition Of the Philippines and
other Islands through the ratification Of
the Paris treaty, assumed the response
biiity of maintaing peace in the Pacific
| ocean.
This obligation, the report, which was
[ prepared by Representative Corliss, the
author Of the bill. says, was deliberately
undertaken by this country and approved
Dy the united voice Of the people II
adds.
THE future peace and prosperity Of
these islands will largely depend upon the
facilities extended BY our government for
the advancement and enlightenment or
the people there Il we are TO continue
IN control of these islands, the people
must be made to understand the char
actCr and purpose Of our government, and
20 feel the benefits of enlightened civiliSa-
ton and American liberty. This can be
accomplished through the medium OF
cable communications. The advancement
of our own people and the benefit of rapid
communication through the telephone,
telegraph and railway lines. illustrate
the advantages and the progress that
may be achieved through cable mes
sages"
Regarding government ownership Of
cables. Mr.. Corliss says England for forty
years has been constantly acquiring, by
purchase and construction. cable com
municatiOn with her vast possessions. un-
III she fas expended upward of 500, 100000
Tor tn purpose, and operates her own
cables connecting her colonies. England
Frrtrr-
Vancouver to Australia at a cost of
nearly 100000 and I'm order TO give her
tradesmen and manufacturers the benefit
Of this communication at the least pos
sible expense. has fixed a rate of TWO
shlllinEs or 80 cents per word for cable
messages from Vancouver to New Zea-
land.
Not Sleeping on Their Rights.
France. Germany and ether nations
are not sleeping upon their rights, as the
people in the United States have been,
comments Mr.. COrliss. bUt are establish
ing government telegra phic communica-
ton with their respective possessions.
Il therefore contend that the Pacific
cable should be owned. controlled and
operated by the government of the
United States. 1t should be made by an
American manufacturer, laid by an Amer
lean ship under the American flag and
operated at the actual cost of dissemina-
ton OF knowledge, the proper direction of
our army and navy ana the advancement
of our trade and commerce in the Pacific.
The transmission of communication
should be held by the state
The right to construct and operate the
Pacific cable IS a public utility or fran
chise held by the people. It's control
is an inherent right of the nation; its
construction and operation necessarily
VIII become. for a great many years, :.
monopoly and should not be transferred |
from the control of the people
oh fof Oft ha sic al eaYs-
vice of the war department, who had
charge of telegraph lines owned by the
government. and who has given the sub |
iect careful consideration, and construct
cd several hundred miles of cable under /
the control of the war department, the |
report says, estimates the entire cost of I
Pacific cable, including ships and all ,
possible contingencies, Al $le0O0tJ0. and |
places the annual expenses at S3Z3,00o.
His judgment is confirmed by the opin- /
ion of Rear Admiral r. b. Bradford, chief /
of the bureau of equipment Of the navy. |
Survey Has Been Made.
A complete survey has been made by
our navy at the expense of at least a !
half a million dollars to our people and
e. route established extending from Cali
fOrnia TO Hawaii eiuam Wake or Mid
way. and the Philippine islands There
is no longer any doubt as to the pracu-
cability of this project from technical
and engineering point OF view. In con-
clusion the report says:
Every part Of the world has been en-
lightened by cable lines except the
Pacific ocean. This vast body of water.
under the control of our government, /
seems 20 be the one dark spot upon the /
face of the earth and for the want OF a
cable. the gem OF the Pacific, the /
Hawaiian isles. a part of our own coun-
try are left in darkness seven days be- !
hind the rest of the world
The vote authorizing q favorable re
port Of the bill stood eight for and seven /
against Two members, Mann and Davis. /
favorable to the bill, We're absent, and !
since then two of the members. Lowering |
and Wagner who voted against the bill !
in the committee. have signed the report /
i'm favor Of the passage of the BILL sug-
costing an amendment authorizing the /
purchase of the cable contracted for be- |
tween California and Hawaii. The minor
ity Of the committee opposes government /
ownership and favors the proposals Of /
the Commercial Pacific company to lay |