Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-07-31
WASHINGTON LETTER.
lFrom our Reqular Oorrespondent.l }

Will tAe hilippihc ISl''huS' anu
presumably with Guam, by two
years later is regarded as practical
ly certain by Government officials in
Washington. The sudden death of
Mr.. John w. Mackey caused, for
a time, some uncertainty as to the
future of the Commercial Pacific
Gable Company, but the vice presi-
dent of that company has been in
Washington this week and has
assured Attorney General Knox
that the death of its president would
in no way interfere with the ex-
ecution of the plans of the company.
So satisfied is the Attorney General
with the representations made by
vice president Ward that he will
leave to-day or tomorrow for
Oyster Bay where he expects to
secure the Presidents approval of
his intention to officially sanction
the operations of the Commercial
Cable Company and probably his
consent to turn over to that com
pany the cable survey made some
time ago by a United States naval
vessel.
The guarantees which have been
eXacted from the Commercial Pacific
Cable Company by the Attorney
General are the occasion of much
satisfaction to the administration
as they appear to insure liberal
treatment of the government and of
commercial interests, while they do
not bind the government inEany way.
BY their provisions, the company
is bound to chargenot to exceed 80
cents per word between Honolulu
San Francisco and to reduce that
rate to 30 cents per word after the
cable has been in operation for two
years, and to charge not to exceed
81 per word between Manila and
China and the United States and
to charge the government for official
business but half of these rates.
Numerous other guarantees are
furnished, all making for just treat
ment of governmental and CONNER
cial paparons. The only objection
to the plan of the company lies in
its presumable recognition of the
claims of a Spanish company which
contends that, by virtue of an ante
bellum grant, it possesses a mon
opoly in the Philippines which will
entitle it to charge a royalty on all
messages sent there. 1t is further
feared that the Commercial Com
pany intends to recognize, in a
similar manner, the monopoly
granted to a European company by
the Chinese government, which
monopoly is regarded as violation
of the treaty rights Of the United
States.
Considerable anxiety is expressed
at the State Department in regard
to the case of one Captain Rosehill
who claims, by right of priority of
discovery, that he is the proprietor
of d guano island in the Pacific,
known as Marcus Island and
situated 800 miles east of Yokoha-
ma. Some citizen or citizens of
Japan claim the island on the same
ground and, while Captain Rosehill
has left this country post haste to
take possession of the island, the
japanese government has learned
of his intetion and has dispatched
a war ship to protect the alleged
rights of her citizens. The State
Department aflirms its confidence
that "A peaceful and equitable
solution of the question can be
arrived at provided the Captain is
not to precipitate in pressing his
claim, but, should he attempt to
try conclusions with the warship,
there is little doubt that he would
emerge from the cngagcmenta loser
and it is possible that the United
States might find the relations
between itself and Japan severely
strained in an effort to secure ade-
quatc damages for the destruction