| Show PAGIFIGCABLE BilL e J t 1 I Lively DiscussionOver This Important I Import-ant House Measure f 0 GRANTS k BIG SUBSIDY t I OPPOSED BECAUSE IT ESTABLISHES ESTAB-LISHES A ONOPOLY t t Republican Members Advocated Construction Con-struction and Operation By the Government Cable Tolls Cost the Government SS000 Per DayDur ing the War 4 Washington Jan 18Th committee on Interstate and foreign commerce hadj the right of way In the hojise todayand succeeded in passing quite a number I bills of minor Importance n st of which authorIzed the construction of I lighthouses for Signals etc Then the bill to grant the Pacific Cable company a subsidy of 100000 a year for twenty years for the construction of and operation i oper-ation of a cable was called up and avery a-very spirited debate which consumed the remainder of the day followed The discussion was headed by Mr Corliss I Rep Mich who advocated the construction con-struction of a government cable No conclusion was reached at the hour of adjournment and as the special rfrder under which the house was operating today expired with the adjournment and as objection was made to fixing another day for its consideration It goes over indefinitely until the committee commit-tee can get another day or until a special order is adopted The bill was considered in committee commit-tee of the whole Mr Evans Rep rKy In the chair The bill authorizes the postmaster general to contract with the Pacific Cable company of New York at the rate of 100000 per year for twenty years for the transmission of government govern-ment messages from San Francisco to I f Honolulu and points on the Japanese nnrt Phfnpttp pnastp the pomoanv to de 1 posit 250000 in government bonds with I the postmaster general within fifteen days after the passage of the act as a I guarantee of the construction of the cable The bill fixed the rates for ori I vate individuals at not to exceed ILl a word to China and Japan and 35 cents to Honolulu press rates not to exceed onefourth of the cable rates Mr Bennett Rep N Y in support of the bill reviewed the contest over the Pacific cable The committee after long investigation he said had decided that the strongest company should construct con-struct this muchneeded cable The Pacific Pa-cific Cable company will be incorporated incorpor-ated under the laws of New York with a capital stock of 10000000 The men who were behind it controlled the MexIcan Mex-ican cable and other cable lines They had built 14000 miles of cable Asked who the directors of the company were he replied they were the president of the Mexican Cable company Mr Scrymser Edward L Bailey J PIer pont Morgan J K Tod and George S Baldwin He did not know the nzmes of the stockholders SEEKING OTHER SUBSIDIES Mr Bailey asked If this company was not seeking a subsidy for the company from Janan Mr Bennett replied that it was but he denied the statement of Mr Bailey that the subsidies would pay the interest inter-est on enough money to construct the cable Its cost he said would be 10 000000 In reply to questions Mr Bennett said that neither the postmaster general i gen-eral the secretary Of the treasury the I president or the secretary of the navy I had been consulted about this bill It seems to be a legislative contract with a few wealthy New York gentlemen I gentle-men interrupted Mr Dockery Dem Mo to give them monopoly of the Pacific cable business I Mr Bennett gave notice that at the proper time he Intended to offer amendments amend-ments to provide that the cable should touch the Ladrones and the Philixolne islands Mr Lewis Dem Wash asked if it was true that this company had contracted con-tracted with the Great Northern Extension Ex-tension company to build the cable and to have a controlling interest in it on condition that this company would secure se-cure enough votes In congress to pass this bill Mr Bennett replied that he was not aware of any such contract General SwaIne Is responsible for that statement said Mr Lewis General Swaine has oonosed this company replied Mr Bennett He is more prejudiced against this company com-pany than I am against any company he is interested in I want to see the cable built and operated by an American Ameri-can company Mr Bennett said the cost of the cable to Honolulu would be about 200000 the annual cost of maintenance 50000 but provision must be made out of the surplus earnings for repairs and renewals re-newals the average life of a cable being be-ing about twenty years The cost beyond be-yond onolulu would be about 1000 a mile for construction OPPOSED THE BILL Mr Corliss Rep Mich who was a member of the committee that reported report-ed the bill opposed it vigorously He charged that the subsidy granted by the government in this bill 7000000 In total amount would cqnstruct the cable President Scrymser was now at work trying to get a subsidy from Japan The company was a gigantic monopoly It had been seeking subsidies sub-sidies from congress for fifteen years He believed in a government cable One of the chief elements of English strength he said was the fact that she pushed her lines of communication around the world The government had already gone ino the business Under the direction of the war department we were now engaged In laying 200 miles of cable in the Philippines He produced a contract con-tract which he said was made between i be-tween the Hawaiian republic July 2 ISIS a month before Hawaii was annexed an-nexed and President Scrymser giving the Pacific Cable company an absolute monopoly of landing cables ill that island for twenty years Scrymser he said badslipped over and obtained this contract just before sovereignty had been transferred But President Dole he said had insisted upon a orovlslon to the effect that this contract should not be binding if the American state department should within six months express its disapproval of the contract Mr Corliss said he had personally seen the secretary of state about the matter and he announced that prior to Jan 2 1803 Secretary Hay had declared his disapproval and the contract was therefore void Anplause Speaking of the necessity of the cable communication in time of war hespoke of the fact that Dewey had been obliged oblig-ed as a military act to cut the Manila cable It was cut for months How much do you suppose we will have to pay for Interrupting cable communication com-munication he asked I dare not tell you the sum is so large but I will say that we were payIng pay-Ing during the war 2000 a day Jn cable tolls Mr Corliss said he would offer a substitute measure for the construction construc-tion of a government cable to Hawaii and the Philippines CANNON ATTACKED During the consideration c a bill to establish a light and fog signal station at Hog Island Shoas Nnrragaisett Bay R I there was a sharp passage between Mr Hepburn chairman of the Interstate commercE commission and Mr Cannon chairman of the appropriations appro-priations committee The latter in f f I dulged in some rather sharp criticism of the showIng upon which the bill was I presented Mr Hepburn resented this and scored the chairman of the appropriation ap-propriation committee He charged him with gratuitously insulting members > f committees who reported bills carrying appropriations and said the country held him respons ble for the cheeseparing cheesepar-ing policy which had left the country unprepared when the war with Spain occurp Mr Cannon in defense of his own course mode a rely which occasioned cheers and applause from both sides of the house He referred to his long service in the house on the committee of appropriations He had erred frequently fre-quently perhaps In thelight of subsequent subse-quent events but he had always acted honestly with the light he had at the time He spoke of the way congress had been compelled to feel its way In building up the new navy The result of the war he said had magnificently and splendidly vindicated its course He had nothing to apologize for in this respect nor in any other and he should continue to do his duty as he saw It irrespective of the caustic comment f the gentleman from Iowa The bill was then passed |
