Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-11
A PACIFIC OCEAN CABLE.
Provisions of the Measure Explained
by Mr. Coriiss

The special rule for the consideration of
the Pacific cable bill was adopted by the
! House yesterday afternoon by vote of
| los to q, and for the remainder of the af-
ternoon the House listened to the author of
the measure argue in favor of its passage
Mr.. Dalzel Pa.), who presented the rule
announced that he was opposed to the gov
eminent building a cable to the Philippines
He said he favored the construction of an
American cable by American capital and
gave notice that at the proper time he
would offer as a substitute bill which he
understood had been drawn by Attorney
General Knox, which recently was intro
dCced In the Senate by Mr. Hale, to au-
tEorize the President to contract for the
construction of a cable under certain condi-
lions The minority of the commerce COM
mittee oppose the Corliss bill on the ground
that the Commercial Pacific Company is
now at work building cable which is to be
laid by 1905.
Mr.. Corliss explained the bill This meas
ure," said he, provides for a government
cable uniting our islands in the Pacific with
the American continent. By it's terms the
cable shall be American made laid by
American ships and managed by the Ameri-
can government" The right to Law. land
and regulate cables, he said, was fran
chise held by the people. Its control was
an inherent right of the nation. He argued
that no one had right to lay cable
without the permission of Congress He
placed the cost of construction at not ex-
ceealns si0,oo0,oo0, and the cost of opera
ton at S4OO,OOO per annum A government
survey of the route already had been made,
ne SAID, at an expense of $200000 Mr.
Corliss gave a resume Of the growth of the
cable business of the world, especially
across. the Atlantic, as an illustration of
the marvellous possibilities of Pacific cable
He estimated that the revenue from com
merciai business alone would be far in ex-
cess of the cost OF operation.
Mr.. Corliss presented to the House state
ments and figures intended to show the ex
istence of cable monopoly and its pur-
poses. He presented the grants obtained by
from China, Japan and the Spanish islands
In the Pacific, Including Guam, the PhiIip-
pines and Marshall Islands, TO show that
this cable company had control OF cable
communications with the far east. and con-
trolls over 10000 miles of submarine cables.
II mad an exclusive monopoly in China he
said, until 1880, and it's Spanish grant in
the philippines ran until 1910. He contend
ed that the Commercial Pacific Cable Com
pany, which proposed to lay a cable to Ha-
wall and thence to Manila, was merely the
American branch OF ally Of the eastern ca
Bile monopoly, and in support of his asser-
ton referred to the statements of Vice
President Ward before the committee on
commerce concerning what transpired In
London last August. Mr.. Corliss dwelt upon
the enect upon our military control In the
racine should foreign corporation be
permitted to own this cable, and argued
that the only way to break down the monop-
Oily was Tor the government to own, con-
struct and operate the cable
He appealed to the patriotism of his COL
leagues in support OF bis argument for pro-
lection to American cable manufacturing
plants. -l5-..,--
At the conclusion of Mr.. Corliss' remarks
the committee rose. Bills were passed to
authorize the commissioners of Crow Wing
county, MIMI to construct bridge across