Omaha daily bee., 1902-06-12
HOUSE KILLS COULISS BILL
Strikes Ensoting Clause from Measure to
Lay Government Gable.
VICTORY FOR THE COMMERCIAL COMPANY
Mackay Informs Members that over
Thousand Miles of able Are
Ready and Guarantees
AlI-American Line.

WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE house to
day dispatched the corliss cable bill b
the same method It adopted yesterday 4
the case Of the forest reserve bill.
struck out the enacting clause by a vote o
11s to II, thus giving no opportunity t
test the strength Of the Dalzell substitute
which authorized the president to contrac
with a private company for the laying OF
cable.
The speakers today were: Messrs
Shackelford Of Missouri, Mann Of Illinois
Morrell Of Pennsylvania and Tompkins o
Ohio for the bill, and Messrs. Richardson o
Alabama, Newlands Of Nevada, Loud o
California and Cannon Of Illinois against it
Mr.. Corliss supplemented his speech o
yesterday in favor of the bill with a few
additional remarks. in the course OF which
he declared that he had learned within
twenty-four hours that not a foot Of thu
proposed commercial Pacific cable had ye.
been laid. Mr.. Richardson Of Alabama theI
took the floor in opposition. He called at,
tentfon to the speech OF Mr.. Cannon yes
terday, In which the latter showed tina
the appropriations for the next fiscal veal
already exceeded the estimated revenues BY
%51, 000, 900 and urged this as the first rea.
son why the government should not entei
upon the exhaustive work OF building
cable to the Philippines.
He referred at some length to, the pos.
sibllities in the development of wireless,
telegraphy and argued that IT would b,
unwise on the threshold Of the develop.
ment OF the new system for the govern
ment to expend SIS, 900, 900 or 500, 900, 900 fol-
a submarine cable, which might be value.
less in a few years. II was better, he in
sisted, to allow q private company to taxi
whatever risk was Involved.
Mr.. Richardson then read the contrac
under the post roads act Of 1865, which
the Commercial Cable company agreed tC
make with the secretary Of the treasur,
covering the sale of cable IN case Of neces
sity to the government, the priority OF gov
m messages, the rates to be charge,
(not to exceed 90 cents per word t
Hawaii and 81 per word to the Philippine,
and China) with half rates for government.
business. the control Of the cable by tn,
government in time Of war. He argued tina
these terms were In every way very ad,
vantageous to the government.
Federal Cable UnjustiaabIe.
Mr.. corliss asked II the attorney general
had not refused to consider the contract
which the Commercial Cable company had
offered to make. ..
Mr. Richardson replied that the attorney
general and other government ofncials had
declined to interfere in the matter and hat
the company was proceeding to lay the
cable under the post roads act. In en-
PLANTATION OF the reason for the cable beins
built In England ne said that the English
company was building a cable which II
guaranteed for two years. No other COM
pany would guarantee a cable for thirty
days, he said.
Mr.. Richardson declared that as an eco.
nomic business proposition the government
cable was unjustiiable and he quoted from
the committees report against a
former bill OF this kind to the effect tina
II would cost the government SIS, 900. 0OC
and would chiefly benefit 300 foreigners
and 100 American citizens. He read a let.
ter from John w Mackey Of the CONNIE
cial company guaranteeing that the com
pany would build an all-American cable
and not touch upon foreign soil. The OBJ
lection to the project Of the Commercial
cable because the cable was not built BY
American labor. he said, would not stand
Investigation. He produced figures to show
that only ~ per cent of the cost of a cable
was eApSnuea Tor wages.
LIQUIDS Opposition.
Mr.. Loud Of California opposed the bill
on the ground that government operation
OF telegraph systems in Europe was not q
success. Since 1872 England had lost about
$SS. 900 in the operation Of its tele.
eraph system. II a private company hac
had such a monopoly as England had II
ga - 40
concluded by expressing the hope that the
house would kill all the bills and leave
the Pacific ocean, open to any company
which cared to undertake the laying OF
cable. a(Applaus0.)
Mr.. Adamson Of Georgia moved to strike
out the enacting clause Of the bill. To
prove that the Commercial Cable company
was proceeding with the work Of construct.
ing the cable 1t proposed to lay, he read
a cablegram from London, dated today and
signed by @. E. Ward. vice president, certi.
flying that 1,o65 nautical miles OF the cable
to be laid between San Francisco and
Honolulu had been completed and tina the
work was proceeding at the rate of twenty.
i've miles q day. Tn cablegram said that
q steamer would leave with the cable FOL
San Francisco before August 1.
Mr.. Tompkins Of Ohio, q member Of the
commerce committee, made an earnesI
speech In favor OF the bill. The govern.
ment. he argued. should have u~ndisputeC
and Uninterrupted communication with III
insular possessions. He said a gentleman
had appeared before the committee and had
testified that his company was prepared Il
build a cable as good as any that could b,
built in the world. II the cable could b,
built here, he insisted that It should b,
built here. i(Appiause.)
Mr., Cannon OF Illinois, chairman Of thu
appropriations committee, then threw tn,
weight OF his influence against the bill
He had always favored the cable, but al
ways had believed that a private compan,
would come along and lay one without ex
pense to the United States. Here was sucl
q company offering to build a cable to tn,
Philippines by way OF Honolulu. Mr.. Can
non said his principal objection to tn
DalIell substitute was that it delayed tn,
cable.
CT0RM TAEEC TIVEC