New-York tribune., 1902-11-21
ANALL- AMERICAN CABLE
TR4NSPACLFTC LINE NOW Re
GARDED AS ASSURED.
r4F COMMERCIAL COMPANY ACCEPTS
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELTS TERMS
WITH ONE MODIFICATION.
rsY TELEGRAPH To THE rR1BuNE.l


bs operated in time of peace under the regula-
+ions demanded by President Roosevelt. and to
70 subiect TO control by the United States in
.iroa of war. is at last believed to be positively
assured by the action of :he representatives Of
.he Commercial Pacific Cable Company to-day
., accepting with single modification the con-
seions laii down by President Roosevelt on
August absolute prerequisite to that
con7pany's receiving permission TO land its cable
IN United States territory and having access to
the surveys and soundlngs made by the Nero
The officials Of the administration during the
last summer had been led 10 believe by the dis
regard Of President Roosevelt's action by the
company that there We're doubts about the in
+ention 20 comply with the requirements of the
President. There were indications that the
Commercial company working with the
Eastern Extension Gable Company. and did not
relish those features of the Presidents condi-
lions which would insure its Independence and
would make il a rival of the Eastern Extension,
especially by the requirement that it should
build an independent linz to China. instead Of
tuning its business over at Manila TO the
isting Eastern Extension line between Manila
and Hong Kong As the result Of a confer
ence with Attorney General Knox to-day. the
Commercial company agrees to construct an in
dependent line 10 Shanghai and accept ali the
other conditions imposed by the President with
out change except the first, which is regarded
here being the most important of ALL it
is the which insures the independence of the
line and prevents its being virtually absorbed
by the Cable Trust. This provision in its pres
ent shape. II is contended by the Commercial
company would interfere with such relations
with existing land lines in China would be
necessary TO secure the transmission of mes
sages from the United States to interior Asiatic
points. The Attorney General agreed that this
provision should be recast so as to remove any
ambiguity which might exist as to its terms, it
not being the desire Of the administration to
prevent the company from making suitable
rangements for the exchange Of business with
connecting lines but 10 make ii impossible for it
to pool business with competing lines, or TO be
practically absorbed by any other company.
THE CONDITION TO BE MODIFIED.
Accordingly. the Attorney General and the
representatives Of the cable company will agree
a revised draft Of the first paragraph of
the Presidents conditions. which will then be
submitted to Mr.. Roosevelt for his approval or
disapproval- The representatives of the cable
company insist that the only notifications they
want are such Will remove all doubt about
their right to make proper arrangements for the
exchange of business with non-competitive lines.
The para graph which is to be revised reads as
follows: ------------e-
That the said company has not received any
exclusive concession or privilege and is not
combined or associated with any company or
concern having such concession or privilege,
such would exclude any other company or
concern formed in the United States of America
from obtaining the privilege Of landing its cable
bles the coasts Of China. connect
ing them with other cable lines or inland lines
Of China and said company It's successors or
assigns win not receive or become associated
with a concern having any such exclusive con-
cession or privilege. The said company has not
combined or associated itself with. and will not
GG1f ffrh f1pV Ia
telegraph company concern for the pur-
pose OF regulating rates between points in
American territory. or between them and any
point in China, Japan or other Oriental places
While the Commercial Cable people explain
their delay in accepting the Presidents condi-
tions by saying that il due 10 prolonged
negotiations for a landing in China, the suspi-
cion is not altogether removed that they would
have been glad TO have evaded the agreement
entirely had not publications in The Tribune
made il plain that any such evasion could not
he carried out successfully.
Even more important than the provisions for
assuring the independence of the transpacifc
cable, are those which assure it's maintenance
and operation as a distlnctively American line
Il is to be manned exclusively by American cit-
zens. one Of the conditions imposed by the
President being that no one not an American
ciIizen shall be employed in any grade above
that Of laborer after the line has been con
United States and Manila the cable shall touch
only on American territory, and it will touch
foreign territory only at the Chinese end of the
section between Manila and Shanghai AS the
Manila end of this section will always be in the
control Of the United States, it can never be
used by an enemy in time of war to the disad-
vantage Of this country
THE CONFERENCE WITH MR.. KNOX.
At the close Of the conference to-day Attorney
General Knox gave out the following state
ment:
Clarence H Mackay. president of the Com
mercal Pacific Cable Company; George q.
Ward vice-presdent, and William ". Cook.
general counsel for the company, had an inter
view TO-DAY with the Attorney General with
respect TO the conditions prescribed by Presl-
cent Roosevelt for constructing transpaclic
cable These conditions were approved by the
President in July last since which time the
Pscifo Cable Company has not ofhclally not-
ned the government as to its intention or VIII
lngness to accept them To-Day, however, MI.
Mackay explained to the Attorney General that
the dela- was caused by protracted negotia-
tons, which have only been brought TO con-
clusion within the last few days, to secure a
landing place in China 10 comply win the
Presidents condition that an n1epehdehJ
American line should be constructed from
Manila 10 Hong Kong. thus giving an an A!ierI-
can through line TO the Asiatc continent IL
was this condition that was supposed 20 pe the
one that the cable company Woulo De uH"lIIlils
or unable to comply with 1t now announces
its ability and intention to construct Ilhe
from Manila TO Shanghai. distance or ABOUT
Twelve hundred miles, and 10 nave uie Saiie
completed within year. . ,, -
Owing to the claim by the Pacific Gable peo-
tions II win practically prevent the necessary
relations with existing lines In emma 70 a.!
me transmission of American messages " IA a.
terror points that provision Is belng recast 10
obvate MISUNDERSTANDING, and WI! De SUD
mitted to the President In modiheo Iorhh
within few days.