Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-03-01
CABLE
CONGRESSMAN CORLISS
MAKES WARM CHARGES
Believes in the Government Controlled
Lines 49, Says Mackay is
One Of Those Brazen
MOnOpOliStS.

|
ton proposing an amendment to the
Constitution of the United States Tor
the election of Senators by direct pop
ular vote. There was no demand for
time to debate the resolution. This Is
the fourth time the House has adopted
similar resolution.
Corliss. who is author OF bill for
Government cable from San Francisco
to Manila, delivered a speech in oppo,
sition to the laying Of such a cable by
private corporation.
| A bill called up by the Judiciary
1 Committee to clothe the Spanish
Claims Commission with power to
compel the attendance of witnesses
and to production of papers, and to
provide for contempt, produced some
| discussion.
Il Ray, chairman of the committee. de.
clared that the Commission which was
to pass upon claims against the Gov.
eminent aggregatlng S75,000,000, had
not today as much authority as a JUS
tice of the Peace.
Corliss (R) of Michigan addressed
the House on the cable project. He
was opposed. he said, to Congress
|
monopolies, notably the Commercial
Cable Company, controlled by the
Mackay-Bennett forces, and dwelt
emphatically on the Importance OF
the United States operating its own
cable lines. "The right to construct
cable lines" he said, us an inherent
right of THE nation. No one has o
right to lay a cable without permits.
sion of Congress" He enumerated
the special acts under which Congress
has authorized private companies to
lay cables to show that they contained
no provision of a general character on
the subject, and said the scope OF
such legislation had been positively
determined by the Department of Jus.
tice. which, he said, held that the
general permission to build lines af.
forded by Congress applied only to
interior lines of telegraph, with points
of communication within the United
States, and not to ocean cables.
Congress" he said has assumed
the right to control the construction
and operation of cable lines in Alas
ka. Is II not far more important fol-
the maintenance of peace and the vel
fare of our people to control cable
communication with Hawaii. the Phil
ippines and other islands in the Pa
cific?"
Corliss cited precedents to show
that the right to control cables was
vested in Congress, and said that II
the case of hte United States VS.. tn,
French Cable Company, Judge La
ombe decided that without the con
sent Of the General Government n,
one, alien or native. had any right Il
establish a physical connection be
tween the shores of this country ant
that of any foreign nation"
THE defendant in this case" h,
said, was one of the allied companies
controlled by the Commercial Cabl,
Company, now seeking again to stea
upon our shores with a cable for tn,
purpose of establishing foreign cabl,
monopoly"
Corliss referred to cable dispatcl
which John Mackay had sent to tn,
Secretary of State in August, 1901
proposing to lay and operate a subma
rine cable from California to the Phil
ippines by way Of the Hawaiian Isl
ands. In comparing the condition
laid down by Grant and Blaine an,
those offered by the Commercial Ca
BILE Company, Corliss said the CON
pany evaded the express stipulation
that the company should not receiv
from any foreign government sucl
privileges as would prevent the estat
lishment and operation of the cable o
an American company in an alien jul
isdiction, and, by the insertion OF
carefully worded clause, sought /
disregard the provision expressly fol
bidding consolidation with any othe
company for the purpose of regulatin
rates. Corliss said such surreptitiou
action was employed by the CONNER
cial Cable Company solely in behalf @
its English ally, in whose interest