The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-08-20
The Atlantic Telegraphic Jubilee at
Indianapolis.

-
Indianapolis.
There was an enthusiastic celebration of
the great event of the day at indianapolis
on Tuesday evening. The Journal says the
cannon pealed forth "notes of thunder
from the Court House square; the fire bells
rang in unison a joyous and long continued
peal; the National Guards and City Greys
paraded the streets-their fine bands making
excellent music; dwelling and business
houses here and there were Illuminated; rock
cts threw beautiful scintillations into the air I;
bonfres burning brightly, cast glare into
the Goverucr' Circle and the streets in the
vicinity of the telegraph office; m.,n and
women, by hundreds and thousands, prom
enaded the streets with joy beaming from
their countenances; and an evening of jubi-
lee prevailed throughout the city.
At the Governors circle a large meeting
was organized, and Ex-Governor Wallace,
who was a meuabcr of Congress and a men,
Der OF. the committee of ways and means
when the first appropriation was made to
aid Morse to erect his telegraph between
Baltimore and Washington delivered an
address. He gave the following interest
ing history of. it-speaking of the. obsta-
clcs that great discoverers have to sur
mount, Inc said:
"The inventor of the electromagnetic
7 telegraph forms no exception to the general
rule. recollcct him well. Some sixteen
years ago had the honor of a seat in Con-
! gress as the Representative of this District.
The 'Whig party had just achieved a great
victory. They held possession of the Gov
ernment. In the midst of the political strife
around US two remarkable persons appeared
-Espy, the 'Storm King" and Morse, The
Electrician. Each was askingfor assistance.
Each became the butt of ridicule, the tar
/, get of merciless arrows Of wit. They were
! voted downright bores, and the idea of Civ
ing them money was pronounced farcical.-
They were considered monomaniacs, and as
such were laughed at, punned upon, and
almost despised, Ea
One morning entered the House of Rep
resentatives, and To my astonishmcnt saw n
| gentleman rise from his seat, whom had
| never heard open his mouth before, nnleSs
! it was to vote or address the speaker. /"
hold in my hand he said, "a resolution,
I which respectfully offer for the conSidera-
ton of the House - .f- 80 ..-
: In a moment page was at his desk, and
4 the resolution was transferred To the Speak
/ CT, and by him delivered to the Clerk, who
! read, Resolved, that the Committee OF
Ways and Means, be instructed to inquire
into the expediency of appropriating thirty
4 thousand dollars TO enable Professor Morse
to establish line of telegraph between
/ Washington and Baltimore" The gentle
/ man who offered it was Mr.. Ferris, one OF
the Representatives from the city Of New
/ York, man of wealth and learning, but
modestS retiring and ditiidcnt liz bis demcan-
I or. II being merely q resolution of inquiry,
it passed without opposition, and, out of re-
gard to the mover, without comment. In
time it came to the Committee of Ways and
Means, and when, in its order, ii came be-
fore the Committe, a scene presented itself
that shallnot soon forget The Committee
was composed of ive Wings and four Demo-
Gratis The latter were, Mr. Atherton, OF
New Hampshire; John w. Jones, of Va;
Frank Pickens, of North Carolina; and
Dixon II. Lewis, OF Alabama. On the Whig
side were, Milard Fillmore, of n. Y; Jos
L. IngerSoll, of Pa; Sampson Mason, OF
Ohio Thos +. Marshall, of Ky; and David
Wallace of Indiana all of whom botl
Wings and Democrats, excepting your hum.
ble servant, had by their public services, anC
brilliant talents, acquired a national rcputa.
ton. The clerk of the Committee read th,
resolution. The Chairman, Mr.. Fillmore
i'm clear, distinct voice, said: +" Gentle
men, what disposition shall be made of it 2
There was dead pause around the table
No one seemed inclined TO take the initia
tive. confess that inasmuch as the mover
of the resolution in the House was Demo
crat, expected the Democratic side of tin,
committee to stand god father to it there
But not bit OF it. They gave il no coun
tenancc. At length Mr. ln2ersoll, or Mr.
Mason, / cannot now recollect which, brok,
the sminous silence by moving that th'
committee instruct the chairman to report
biz TO the House, apProPriating 5000 70
tie purpose namedin the resolution. This
rs the saying is, drought us all up stand
ing" No speeches were made. The ques
ton was called for The ayes and nav
, were taken, alphabetically, and to my as
/, tonishment found every Democrat voting
Nol Fillmore, Mason, Ingcrsoll and Marshal
voting in the affirmative. My vote wou
decide the question either way. To tel
the truth, l had paid no attention to TN
matter. Like the majority around me,
considered II great humbug. | had nc
9 raised the faintest idea of the importance {
) my vote.
But as fortune would have it recolccl
ed that Mr.. Morse was. then experimentin
in the capitol with bis telegraph. He ha
, stretched a wire from the basement story {
the ante-room of the Senate Chamber, an
: it was in, my power TO satisfy myself in II
gard to its feasibility. | determined to tr
: it,. | asked leave to consider of my vote
: 1t was granted. Immediately stepped OF
I, of committeeman and went to the ante
: chamber. | found it crowded with Repr'
h sentatiyes and strangers. | requested PEE
: mission to pdt question to the 81 madman
at the other end of the wire. 1t was gran
ell Immediately. / wrote the question, an
!. handed it to the teicgrapher. The crow
: cried "read readr' In very short tin
u the answer was received. When write
n out the same cry of "read !" "read!" F" can
: from the crowd. To my utter aStonishmel
| found that the mailman at the, other end
= the wire had more wit and iorce than u
: Congressman at this end. He turned ii