True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-09-08

Like the majority around me, l consid
cred it a great humbug. | had not the
faintest idea Of the importance of my
vote. But as fortune would have it, |
recollected that Mr.. Morse was then ex-
perimenting in the Capitol with his tele-
graph. He had stretched wire from
the basement story 10 the ante-room of
the Senate Chamber, and it was in my
power to satisfy myself in regard 10 its
feasibility. determined to Try it. |
asked leave to consider my vote. 1t was
granted. Immediately stepped out of
the committee room, and went to the
ante-chamber. | found it crowded with
Representatives and strangers. | re-
quesied permission to put question to
the "madman" at the other end of the
wire. 1t was granted Immediately. |
wrote the question and handed it TO the
telegrapher. The crowd cried ''read
read !" In very short time the answer
was received. When written out the
same cry of "read read - came from
the crowd. To my utter astonisbmen,
| found that the madman at the other end
of the wire had more wit and force than
the Congressman at this end. He turned
the laugh upon me completely. But, as
you know, we Western men are never
satisfied with one fall that never less
than Two out of three can force out of Us
| an acknowledgement of defeat. Sol put
second question, and there came a
second answer. If The first raised a
laugh at my expense, the second con-
verted that laugh into roar and shout.
was more than satisfied | picked up
my hat, bowed myself out of the crowd,
and as | passed along the halls and pas
sages of the Capitol, that shout followed
me. AS matter of course, / voted in
the affirmative of the motion then pend
ing before the committee, and it prevailed.
The chairman reported the bill. The
House, if mistake not, passed it mem
con, without asking the yeas and nays
And thus concurring, the Wing portion
of that committee, and that old New
Yorker, played the part of Isabella toward
Mr. Morse in this las! struggle to demon
strate the practicabli'y of the mos,
amazing invention of the age, the Mag.
netic Telegraph! II the committee had
ignored the proposition, there is no telling
what would have been the result. That
the experiment would have been finally
made, no one can entertain doubt. But
when or by whom is the question. Il
was not within the range of individual
fortune to make it, and, if it was, none
but Professor Morse would have hazarded
it. Had he failed i! might have shared
the fa'e of the Ocean Telegraph. AL.
though conceived years ago, as read III
a Cincinnati paper few days since, by
the editor of The Commercial, and appli.
cation was made to Congress for assis-
tauce, which was entirely disregarded,
yet English sagacity seized with avidity
what American supineness had neglected,
and took the initiative in this magnificent
enterprise, and plucked from American
brows the glory, OF the achievement.
Party demagogues in Indiana, says an
exchange, used the telegraph vote ol
Gov. Wallace to his disadvantage, and
succeeded in making the people generally
regard it with utter contempt. One old
Shelby county farmer urged the Gov.
ernor to deny having voted for the tele,
graph, and Jerry Johnson, to show his
contempt for the humbug, suggested thai
"We would next hear of the people
driving God Almighty's lightning across
the ocean to split Europe into fragments