The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-01-31
HAWAIIAN CABLE.

OF the plan for cable to Honolulu,
which is now hanging fire in Congress,
the San Francisco Chronicle says:
We need and shall soon get a cable
to Hawaii. and thence across the Pa
cific to Asia. A discussion is now in
progress in Washington as to whether
it shall be built by the government or
by a private company. There are
doubtless some in the country who de-
sire that the government shall own
and control everything. and probably
most Americans would now insist that
1t own and control everything to whose
construction it contributes Whether,
however, 1t is necessary or desirable for
1t to construct n cable line which a
private company is ready to lay with
out asking anything except the absence
of government competition Is another
matter. The company Offering to lay
the cable which II is now manufacture
ing, proposes as n condition that the
maximum rates OF toll shall be fixed
by agreement. and that the government
at any time may purchase the cable IL
1t so desires. 1t would, at any rate,
have the power OF condemning IL for
public use, as 1t will be the property
of an American corporation, and land
only on American soil.
That seems to be a good proposition.
We have, Ii Is true, a surplus of money
in the national treasury, but there are
also in sight enormous demands on the
government for the Nicaragua canal,
for public buildings. for rivers and har-
bors, for the development of the arid
West for the national defense, and for
many other things. There Is gen
eral demand for the reduction of taxa
ton. There is an end to the resources
90 TN..Gs
We want to pay Off the national debt.
A Pacific cable Is a thing of prime
necessity, and II there were no one
else to lay 1t II would be a national
obligation to do so. Since, however,
there are Americans who are ready to
provide an American cable 1t is worth
while to consider whether, If the gov
eminent insists on doing 1t, some of US
will not have to give up something near
to our hearts and which we should
otherwise obtain.
/ The strongest objection to accepting
the proposal OF the private company
comes from the military and naval
men. We fail to see any force In their
objection. The cable in the hands OF
an American company would be as
available to our government in time OF
war as a government cable. 1t would
be rather less exposed to danger from
the enemy. If circumstances required,
it could be taken over by the govern
ment, either temporarily or permanent
ly. A private company could probably
deal much better than the government
with the vexatious but possibly we'll
founded claims OF the foreign company
/ which claims exclusive landing privi-
ieges in the Philippines, and which we
might have to buy out. 1t is not likely
that for some years a Pacific cable
would be very profitable, for rates of
toll to make it so would invite prompt
competition. The objections of the mill
tary and naval men perhaps have their
. real foundation in a desire to make
more military and naval Jobs. At any
rate. 1t Is to be hoped that we are not
to begin this century with the idea.
new to Americans, that military rather
than commercial considerations are to
dominate all our policies.