Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1855-10-09
miscellaneous.
AN INTERESTIyG HISTORY


toast:
/ Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. most
cordially for the hattering allusion You
have made to me in connection with the
electric telegraph, for it expresses the
Kindness. the good will the generosity
OF your own hearts. But, ladies aud
gentlemen, [ place myself as one only
among the lnstrumentalities in this great
enterprise of binding the nations togeth
er In the bands Of electric Intercourse
1t is thus only that I find relief from
what | may truly styly the oppression of
praise. Let me explain
1t would be hypocracy in me to affect
callousness or indifference to the good
opinion of my fellow men No: | con.
fesss to deep feeling of qualification in
receiving this evidence that the labors
and sacrifices of so many years of my
life have not been thrown away upon an
impracticable. a chimerical dream. I
have not however. so superficial self
knowledge. as not to be aware that there
is something within this bosom ever ready
to kindle into selfish pride at the least
spark of praise, pride that would give
utterance to the arrogant boast Is not
this great Btbylon that have built by
the might of my power, aud for the hon
or of my majes.y Who is it that
commands tne lightnings to go and they
go Who gave the telegraph to the
world Permit me to state an incident
in the early history of the telegraph which
is directly pertinent to the answer to
these questions.
At two sessions Of the congress Of the
| q tied States my p tition for the pecuni-
airy aid Of the government to construct
the experimental line of telegraph from
/ Washington to Baltimore, to test its prac
tica bility aud utility, dragged its slow
length along aud the close of the session
of 1912 and lS43 threatened result as
inauspiclous as the previous session of
1887 and 1888 [ need not more than
allude to the fact. that in the previous
session of 1887, [ had expended all the
pecuniary means [ possessed to sustain
myself at Washington while urging upon
the attention of congress this then
tried, this then generally esteemed vision
ary entrprise of an electric telegraph
Years were required to put myself again
- l,f
the congress with my invention, and
now [ saw the last day of another entire
session Just about to close and with it the
prospect of another years delay. My
bill bad indeed. passed the house. 1t
was on the calender of the senate. but the
evening of the last day had commenced
with more than one hundred bills to be
-considered upon and passed before mine
should be reached Wearied with the
anxiety of suspense, consulted with one
Of my senatorial friends; he thou hit the
chance of reaching it SO small, that he
advised me to consider it as lost In a
state of mind / must leave you to imag-
l.
my preparations for returning home the
next day My funds were reduced to the
fraction of dollar In the morning. as
was about to sit down to breakfast, the
: servant announced that young lady de
sired to see ME in the parlor 1t was the
daughter of my excellent friend aud col
-. of
ents. She called. she said by her father S
permission aud in the exuberauce of her
own Joy. to announce to me the passage
If the telegraph bill at midnight, but the
moment before the senates adjournment
This was the turning point of the tele-
graph invention IN America As an ap
lpropriate acknowledgement for her sym
pathy and kindness, sympathy which
only a woman can feel and express.
t promised that the first dispatch By the
drst line of telegraph from Washington
70 Baltimore should be indicted BY her
20 which she replied, :. will hold you tc
your word" +"
In about year from that time the line
vas completed, and every thing being pre-
,ared apprised my young friend of thu
act. A note from her enclosed this des
atch What hath God Wrought 2
rnese were the frat words that passeC
.pon the electric wires, on the first com
,ieted line in America None could hav
,een chosen more in accordance with m
Sn feelings l baptized the America
;. telegraph with the name of its author :
1t placed the crown of success and homo
where it belonged
,- | lately somewhere read, in an artcl
,e IN the telegraph, written apparently b
one not friendly to me, this sentimen
ne that the telegraph is too magnificent a
!, invention to have its glory concentrate
r T. n