The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1902-08-14
FOR A PACIFIC chi.
AN AGREEMENT IA No..
Will be American Owned and A..
AN Terms Are Agreed v...
Roosevelt and knox Civ.
Expect Work to commene. a..

oyster Bay. Aug. 11.-Term,
which the desired concession. u~a
granted for the laying Of a WI a.1 ~
across the Pacific to the phu, s.'s
were discussed at length hot ppae'
president and Attorney Genera, 'u p as
recently. hno1
several months ago the p..,.
mercial Cable company sought n. .c'ae
sion from the executive branch :.
government to lay a Pacific a. us i,
running from San Francisco vi. u aON
iulu and Guam to China, there "a saN
meet with British cable to the ph,,,a
pines. The proposition of tba .up
pany was to assume all expense ~ :.
Grating the cable. For the concas.,
OF the ladings at San Francisco uo"a
lulu and Guam the company nnno.o,
to grant to the United States onn" seu
ment special rates and in certain ~.
ditlons OF war practically absolute NV oo.'
troll OF the cable. The conditions =.
presented by the company to tho nros;
dent, were naturally such as anu ~.
poration might make. Thew had ~
drawn for the company's interests ".
Roosevelt referred the whole sph;aa.
to Attorney General Knox with ~
quest that he go carefully over ~.
proposed conditions, eliminating euoh
as he might regard as impracticahls
and adding such others as he m,gh,
believe would subserve the interest.
OF the government. The results ~ ~,
investigation and his conclusions NJ,
Knox presented to Mr.. Roosevelt n
verbal form, the papers in the matter
having been laid before the president
Mr.. Roosevelt approved Of the amend.
ed conditions and so far as the eYe.
cutive branch of the government il
concerned the company now NAV nro.
coed with the work of laying tha
cable.
It is regarded as essential, however
that the conditions be ratified by act
OF congress, as some doubt exists
whether the executive branch Of the
government alone can grant such priv.
leges as are included in the Pacific
Commercial Cable companys proposi.
ton.
The conditions as approved by Nj.
Roosevelt are regarded as particularly
favorable to the government. and it is
believed that. with the cordial indorse-
ment which he will give in his mes.
sage In December. congress will ratify
the conditions without serious delay.
Attorney General Knox added sew.
eral important conditions to those pro
posed by the company, including
these:
That the United States government
at all times shall have priority of ser.
vice; that the government, through the
postmaster general, as is customary in
such contracts, shall have the right to
Tx the rates to be charged by the com.
pany; that in time of war the govern.
ment shall have the right absolutely to
the cable; that in order to pro.
tect not only the government, but also
individual private customers of the
company, the Pacific Commercial
Cable company is required to lay
Instinct line Of cable from China to
Manila, so that it will not be neces.
'ary to depend upon the British com.
'any which now controls the only
'able from Hong Kong to Manila;
Ind, finally, that the United States
It any time after the completion Of
he line may purchase the line at an
appraised valuation to be fixed by ar.
'itrators selected in the usual manner
" the two parties to the transaction.
BY those who have studied the sub.
ect 1t is believed that a cable laid
lnder the conditions proposed will be.
o all intents and purposes. a govern
nent cable line with few IL any Of the
disadvantages attendant upon govern.
nent construction and maintenance.
Under the United States treaty with
nina, the Chinese government has
to a British company the right
o Its domain, and will be Obliged to
rant to the Pacific Commercial Gable
ompany. an American corporation.
he same right. This will enable the
ompany not only to land its San Fran
isco line in China, but also will ena'
lie 1t to obtain a Chinese terminus
Or its line to Manila.
In the laying Of its cable lines the
ompany has been accorded the right
use the United SStates government
Attorney General Knox is inclined to
ne opinion that the company will i'm
lediately proceed to construct its
mes. Considerable time will be re-
uired for the preliminary arrange
tents before the actual laying of the