The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-23
WESTERN UNION
LOSES CONTEST
OF CABLE. CASE
Congress Bill Spells
Victory for Gou-
ernnenf.
By DAVID LAWRENCE,
(SpeciAl to Tha ArRual

Washington, May 21.-The dra-
matte fight between the Western
/ Union Telegraph company and the
United States government over the
right to lay cable at Miami, Fla,
which would connect up with q
British owned company in con-
trolling American Communication
to South America has come to an
end with victory for the govern
ment. -
Not by decision of a court, not
by naval action az seemed at one
time necessary, but through the in
fuence of Secretary of States
Hughes, both houses Of congress
have now passed a bill absolutely
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 be
signed by President Harding and
will become law in a few days.
The race between the Western
Union, which hoped that the su-
preme court would hand down a de-
cision before congress could act
and the government which success
fully urged congress to rush the
measure through and beat the
courts decision, is at an end. Con-
gress has acted. The cases before
the courts now become hypothetical
or moot cases and as such can have
no validity.
/ The reason for the Western Un-
ions hope that a favorable decision
of the courts might be handed down
before congress could act was q
supposition that the United States
navy would be unable to prevent
the landing Of the cable at Miami If
the courts upheld the Western I'm
ion and then if the cable was once
laid it would be difficult for the
government to displace the West
ern 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 a
step that can not be upset by execu-
tive decree.
l
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
American territory with the British
cable running from Brazil. Several
attempts to 'test the cables" have
been misunderstood by the navy"
according to the Western Union and
clashes have occurred in the vicin-
ity Of Miami. All this tension has
been occasioned by the knowledge
of the government on the one hand
that the rights of the executive to
issue cable permits had never
been sharply defined and the feel
ing Of the Western Union that II
they once landed the cable, no law
could upset the arrangement with
out big damage suit for it would
in effect be confiscation Of property
The Wilson administration fought
the Western Union at every step in
its efforts to; land q cable. And
now the Harding administration
has adopted exactly the stand Of
the preceding administration and
has gone step further. 1t has Be-
cured the enactment Of . l4w that
will hereafter give the president o1
the United States the right to say
whether any foreign concern can
land a cable on American territory
, OF Vast Importance.
This is of vast importance as q
reciprocal right. For it is a known
fact that some European countries
have not been giving American
concerns the same privileges which
European companies have enjoyed
in this country and there has been
no way to compel equality Of treat
ment until the American govern.
ment obtained jurisdiction over the
whole thing. 1t is not an attemp,
to bring about government owner
ship or control of cable communi.
cation but an effort to prevent for.
eign concerns from taking undue
advantage Of American companies
For example, French concern
could open telegraph Offices in the