The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-31
Special to The Globe.

Special to The Globe.
NEW YORK, Aug. 30.-The great
struggle which has been going on in
congress over the question of building
cable from San Francisco to Manila
is at last over, and the work will i'm
mediately be proceeded with by the
Commercial Pacific Cable company.
The result of the agreement entered
into between the Commercial Cable
company is the elimination of years of
effort on the part of the late John w.
Mackay who has all along wanted to
build It. The only reason why he was
not given the opportunity to do so be-
fore was that a number of members
of congress We're anxious to see the
cable built by the United States gov
eminent.
There has been further delay caused
by the discussion as to whether the
Commercial Cable company should be
permitted to use the soundings by the
United States signal office during the
laying of the military cables. That
point will now be granted to Mr..
Mackay's company which will proceed
at once to lay the cables on the follow
ing conditions.
First-The government shall have
at all times priority in the use of the
cable. Government dispatches shall
go ahead of all dispatches sent by pri-
vate individuals or by other govern
ments.
Second = The postmaster general
shall have the right to fix the rates at
which government matter shall pass
over the wires.
Third-In time Of war the cable shall
pass absolutely under government con-
troll.
Fourth-The government shall have
the right to take over the cable at any
time at price fixed by a board of ar
bitrators selected in the usual man
ner.
Fifth-The Cable Construction COM
pany shall have the right to use the
soundings made by the government,
with a view to constructing the cable
Sixth-The present concession being
for line from San Francisco to Hon
olulu, to Guam, and subsequently to
China, where it will connect with the
British line from Hongkong to Manila.
it is stipulated that the company will,
as soon as is practicable, construct an
independent line from the Chinese
coast to Manila, so that the line from
gether an American owned line.
Congress Will Ratify.
There seems to be no room for rea-
sonable doubt that congress will ratify
the action of the executive in instruct
ing the cable company to go ahead,
as the case is considered one Of mill
tary exigeI cy. 1t will practically COM
plete the work done by the govern
ment in laying lines of military cables
to connect a strategic system in the
Philippines which was a work of no
inconsiderable character.
The cables there now comprise some
749 miles which were laid by officers
connected with the signal service Of
fee. These cables connect all the prin-
cipal islands and especially those not
included in the cable system owned
by the British government in the Phil
fppines, which comprises about the
same number of miles. The United
States transport was used in the laying
of these cables and all the material
used in them was made in the United
States.
With the exception of the small
quantity manufactured here on the
aforementioned accession practically
all the worlds cables have been man
ufactured on the Thames. The cable
for the present work is now being con-
structed there by the Eastern Tele-
graph Construction company. To have
1t made here would involve consider
able delay and much greater expense.
Inc cable experiences of the war de-
partment in connection with the relief
of the legations of Pekin showed clear
ly the tremendous disadvantages the
united States must remain under
without its own cable facilities in the
case OF an extended war in the East.
In his message, delivered to con-
gress in 1899, the president stated that
an American trans-Pacific cable was
military and commercial necessity if
our colonial possessions are to be re-
tanned and if American interests are
TO be safeguarded in Asiatic countries
adding that the great value of such a
cable would be the fostering of indus