The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-12-03
AMERICA IS
AMBITIOUS
IN SHIPPING
Mark Sullivan Says United
States Seeks Protection of
Foreign Trade Futures
Contest British. Dominance.
MOVES ARE IMPORTANT
Bv MARK SULLIVAN.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. s.
arisen in Washington during the past
week are related to one another and
are phases of one of the most import
ant conditions in contemporary his
tory. None of these incidents has
been made wholly clear to the public
in all it's bearings, and one of them
at least is quite imperfectly under
stood. The first that l refer to con-
sists of the various dispatches >staing
that a naval cruiser is on guard on
the coast Of Florida to prevent
cable, which is owned by the Western
Union from being landed on the
American coast.
This spectacle, as pictured by the
bare dispatches, is most extraordinary.
But do not use the word "extraordin-
ary" in any sense critical OF the navy
or of the government. On the other
hand, having looked into the matter
with some care, | think the navy de-
partment, the State department, and
the President, who personally refused
the permit to land the cable, are all
quite in the right. But the incident
has a bearing which will only appear
later and which it is not too much 10
say, will affect the course of the
world. 1t appears that the cable
which the Western Union is trying to
land runs only to one of the Brush
Islands in the West Indies. AT Bar
bados it is intended to connect with
British cable line which runs to>South
America and which has a monopoly OF
the cable business in Brazil.
If the Western Union were permit
ted to land this cable it would follow
that cable messages for South Amer
lea originating in Western Union
territory in the United States would
be routed over a British cable and
would be to the benefit of British
comparv. which aims to maintain a
monopoly in Brazil. The point can
onlv be understood when it is further
horne in mind that there is an All
American cable, originating in New
York, touching at Panama. going
Gown the west coast C South Amer
lea. and connecting with the Brftfsh
company in those countries or South
America where the British company
does not already have an exclusive
monopoly
To Protect Interests.
The action of our government is IN
tended to protect the interests or the
American COMPANY This bare out
line of the facts doe not purport TO
be complete and is not enough TO torn
a lust Judgment without the knowledse
of further minute and technical de-
tails. The whole subject OF the talr
and proper control of international
cables is very big and extremely com
plex. Gables are. so to speak, an IN
ternational public utility.
Rut this cable incident does not
stand alone. It is merely one aspect
of a Worldwide competition between
the United States and Great Britain
in foreign trade and foreign shipping,
In this field hitherto, Great Britain's
possession of a large proportion OF the
worlds cable facilities has given her
great advantage. In the newly
awakened national self-consciousness
of the United States and in our ne"
ambition to be larger factor in world
shipping and world trade. America is
disposed to regard Great Britain's pos
sessions or control of so much OF the
worlds cable facilities as handicap
against us which we cannot AFFORD TO
let continue.
Incidents Connected
The next incident. SupernclallN. mas
no connection with the cable incident,
but, seen in its true bearings, IS a
part of the same situation. / refer to
Secretary Colby's note protesting
against Great Britains apparent dis
position to assume an exclusive attl'
tude in its relation to the oil resources
of Mesopotamia.
The British Empire on its economic
side, rests upon commercial shipping.
The British islands have no great re-
sources such as we have - favOrably
located iron ore. coal and other raw
mat erials: no fruitful wheat and corn
lands, and the like. Her empire rests
on her dominance in shipping. For
generations it has been her ownership
or control of a very large proportion
of the worlds shipping that has been
the economic basis of the empires
existence.
Great Britain has held this shipping
dominance by reason of several fac
tors, including greater experience and
greater skill in the business, a labor
supply that has been trained for gen
erations in this trade. and other ad-
vantaGeS. such as the ownership Of
coal hunkerS all over the world. bank
ing and cable connections all over the