Evening star., 1921-05-21
j. S. OFFICIALS WIN
RACE FOR CONTROL
Of CABLE LANDING
Congress Comes to Rescue in
Battle Waged by Two
Administrations.
RIGHTS OF AMERICAN
COMPANY ARE UPHELD
Western Union and British Lines
Had Hoped for Court Decision.
Hughes Is Victor.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

| BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
| The dramatic fight between the West
ern Union Telegraph Company and the
/ United States government over the right
| to lay cable at Miami. Fla. which
would connect up with British-o
company in controlling American COM
munication to South America. has come
| to an end with a victory for the govern
| ment.
Not by decision of court. not by
naval action. as seemed at one time
! necessary, out through the influence Of
Secretary Of State Hughes, both houses
of Congress have now passed a bill alb
solutely removing all doubt as to the
right of the chief executive to refuse or
grant permits to land cables in the
United States. The measure Will 9s, be
become law in few days
The race between the Western
Union, which hoped that the Supreme
Court would hand down decision
before Congress could act, and the
government, which successfully urged
Congress to rush the measure through
and beat the courts decision. is at
an end. Congress has acted. The
| cases before the courts now become
hypothetical or moot cases. and as
such can have no validity.
Basis of COmpany's Hope.
The reason for the Western Unions
courts might be handed down before
Congress could act was a supposi-
tion that the United States Navy
would be unable to prevent the land
ing of the cable at Miami If the
courts upheld the Western Union. and
he Ia ndod If
would be difficult for the govern
ment to displace the Western Union
| cable-it would be an accomplished
fact and the courts have in effect
held that the actual landing of the
cable is in itself step that cannot
be upset by executive decree.
That's why the Navy has kept
watch on the Western Union cable
boat in Florida waters and has re-
sisted every attempt to connect
ca BILE running from Brazil.
cables" have been "misunderstood by
tho Navy" according to the Western
Union, and clashes have occurred in
the vicinity of Miami. All this ten
knowledge Of the government, on the
one hand. that the rights of the ex-
ecutive to issue cable permits had
never been sharply defined, and the
feeling of the Western Union that if
it once landed the cable no law could
damage suit. for it would in effect be
ccnfiscation of property.
Two Administration Act.
The Wilson administration fought
the Western Union at every step in
its effort to land cable. And now
the Harding administration has
adopted exactly the stand Of the pre-
,s-k-
step further. 1t has secured the
enactment of a law that will here
after give the President Of the Unit
ed States the right to say whether
any foreign concern can land a cable
on American territory.
This is of vast Importance as
reciprocal right. For it is a known
fact that some European countries
have not been giving American con-
Germs the same privileges that Eu
ropean companies have enjoyed in
! this country and there has been no
| until the American government OBJ
| tanned jurisdiction over the whole
thing.
| 1t is not an attempt to bring about
government ownership or control of
cable communication. but an effort
to prevent foreign concerns from TAX
ing undue advantage Of American
! companies. For example. French
| concern could open telegraph offices
in the United States for the distribu
British company. but the govern
ment of France has thus far refused
to permit American cable or wireless
! concerns to distribute their messages
throughout France by their own sys-
tenn of local telegraph wires or Of
fees.
British COmpetft
=;
pute between the Western Union and
the American government something
besides mere law. 1t involves QueS
tion of saving an American-owned
cable company. from the destructive
competition Of British company
which has formed an alliance with
the Western Union. The All-American
Gable Company, which is owned by
American citizens, operates cables to
/ both coasts of South America. but is
| the Brazilian coast because the Brit
ish company has q monopoly there.
| The Western Union and the British
company arranged to lay cable
would connect up, through Miami.
| with the immense system Of the
western Union in the United States.
This would. mean that all mes
ed States would be sent through Mi
! ami and on to South America through
a British company. thus taking away
much of the business which the ALL
! American Gables Company has been
getting from the United States be-
| cause it has been the only direct
cable company reaching South Amer
| lea.
The Western Union made the con-
vincing argument that American
messages travel to the Azores over
! American cable lines, only to be
connected up with British and
Portuguese cables there. and con-
| tended that in principle this wasn't
| ~ h;t <3;0aropt from sanding naa.