The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-06-19
HOUSE STRIKES OUT ENACTING
CLAUSE.
Congress Opposed to a Government
Cable and the Pacific Left Open to
ANY 7S~ivate Corporation.

w. flNGTON, June 11.-By a vote
OF IL tO77 the House today struck out
the enacting clause Of the Coriss bill
providing for the construction of
government cable from some point on
the Pacific coast to Hawaii, Guam and
Mantle. The division on the bill was
not along party lines. After the gem
eral debate had been exhausted Mr.
Auamson democrat of Georgia) moved
to strike out the enacting clause.
This motion was first carried in The
committee of the Whole and then in
the House and the bill was laid on the
table.
Speeches for the defeat of the bill
were made by Mr.. Loud and Mr.. New
lands, who cOntended that it would be
a poor policy for the Government TO
build the cable when a private company
stood ready to build it and give to this
country every concession
Mr.. Mann -(Republican of Illinois)
supported Mr.. COrliss in his plea for a
be a saving to the Government and
would be a step in the line of destroy
ing monopolies.
Mr.. Newlands, in his speech, took oc-
casion to defend John w. Mackay,
president of the Commercial Pacific
Gable Company, which seeks the privi-
lege of laying the cable, from the at
tacks made on him in the House yes
terday. He said he was a resident Of
the State of Nevada and an honorable
and patriotic citizen.
A letter written by Mr.. Mackay, ad-
dressed to Chairman Hepburn, was
Tead as follows:
MY cable engineer, through your
kind offices and the courtesy Of Mi.
Moody, the Secretary of the Navy, and
OF Admiral Bradford, has been allowed
to examine the charts of soundings on
file in the Navy Department, showing
that it is feasible to land a submarine
cable on the island of Guam, in the
Pacific ocean. Mr.. Cuttriss had just
telegraphed me that these soundings
show that such a landing is practic-
able. This removes the only doubt as
to the feasibility of an American cable
from san Francisco to Manila and
write this letter to you to state posi-
lively that the submarine cable which
the Commercial Pacific Gable Company
has agreed to construct, lay and oper-
ate from San Francisco to Manila, will
be an all-AmeriCan cable and will
not touch on any foreign island or ter
ritory whatsoever. l give you my per
SI'lldl dSH VI tllltt ~ lllll GlLcNls 1 W
first section of this cable will be in
operation in November 1902 and we
expect to be able to arrange for the re-
naming sections to be completed and
opened for traffic during the year 1904
| Mr.. Newlands said that-instead OF
being a mOnOpolist, Mr.. MaCkay had
/ entered a contest on the sea against
the great Atlantic cable monopoly and
on land against the Gould telegraph
system. He also had built the Hayt
cable, the control of which was sur
rendered to the United States during
the Spanish war. In the same way, he
said, the cable to be built to the Phil
ippines also would be at the service o.
the Government in time of emergency
Mr.. Mackay he said, was noted for hi.
robust Americanism. The very nam,
OF j. w. Mackay he said, was a guar,
artee of the legitimacy of the enter
prise.
Mr.. Loud opposed the bill on tn,
ground that government operation o
telegraph systems in Europe was no
success. Since 1872 England had los
about S3j, 900 in the operation of he
telegraph system. If a private com
pany had had such monopoly as Eng
land had, it would have made larg
sums of money. He concluded by eX
pressing the hope that the House wOult
kill all the bills and leave the Pacif
ocean open to any company which car
ed to undertake the laying of a cable.