New-York daily tribune., 1858-08-23
PROF MORSE BEFORE CONGRESS

n.
A.tLe recent Atlantic Cable glordcston in Ioiisn-
srolis, e1-Gov Wallace gave the folio wing interesting
account Of the fret Telegraph bill in the Hous. o!
Representatives Of tie United S,stes. Mr.. Wallace
said
Some sixteen yesrs ago had the honor OF q se,t 10
Corgress he Representative OF this district rhe
Wing part. nso Just achieved grest victory. Tney
held possesfior OF toe GoveInment In The miis. Of
TIE poiics strife around tSo remarkable persons
sppesred-Espy, the Storm King" and Morse, the
Electroisn. Each was asking for assistance. Each
became the butt Of r6icue, tre target of merciless
arrows Ct wit. They voted do wright bores aud
tie ioes Of giving them money was pronource ed fsrc
Gel. Ihey were considered nonomAnacs, and o. such
were laughed al, punred upop and almoet despised.
One norrpg enered the House of Represents
tves and, 10 NY astonishmeut, saw gentleman rise
from tis sest whom tad never heard open his mouth
before uIless it TO vote or address the Speaker
81 tclo in NY hand, be sad, "a resolution witch
"e pectuly FER for the cor aderaon OF the House.
In a moment page wac at his desk, and the reso-
luton trsrsfened to the Speaker and by him de-
lveIed TO the Clerk, who rea5: Resolved, That the
"Connit.ee Of Wsys ard Means be instructed to in.
Squire ito the eypediency Of appropristng SO,OOO
"to ersble Professor Morse TO estsbih line Of tee
"gTsph between Washington and Baltimore" Tne
gentleman VINO offered it was Mr. Ferris. ore Of the
Representatives from the City Of NeFYork, man of
vesth ard leaning, but modest retiring and dfiitent
in lie deneanor. IL being merely resolution OF IN.
quiy passed without opposition. and, out OF regard
&c tie mover, without comment. IL time 1t came
TO tie Committee Of Wsys and Means, and
mittee. soepe presented itself that l shall not
scon forget. TIE Committee vas composed OF
FIVE Wigs ard four Democrats. The latter were
Mr. Atheiton Ct New Hampshire, John w. Jones
of Virginia, Frank Pickeus of North Carolins, and
| Dxcn II. Lewis CT A sbams. On the Wing side were
Misrd Fillmore Of New-ioIk, Joa. k. lngersoil OF
| Peinsylvspis, Sampson Mason OF Ohio, Ihos. +.
Marshall Of kentuosy, ard David Wallace OF lndisna,
| al Of whom, both Wligs aud Democrats excepting
ytur humble servant had by their public services aud
brilliant talents, acquired a national reputation The
clerk of the Committee read the resolution. The chair
msn, Mr.. Fillmore, in clear oi.ticct voice, said:
| Gentlemen, what disposition shsu be made OF 1t
| There wac dead pause around the table. No one
seemed inclined TO take tie initiative corfess that,
nasmuch as the mover OF tie resolution in the House
wsss Democrat, expected tie Democratic side OF the
Committee to stand godfather to it there. But not
bit Of it. They gave 1t no countenance.
At length Mr.. Ipgersol or Mr. Mason IcaDnot now
reooeot which, broke the ominous silence by moving
that the Committee instruct the Chairman to report
bill to the House appIoprating $4,000 for the PUT
pose famed in the resolution. Thu, as the sayng Is,
''bro't all up standing. No speeches we're made.
Tie question called for The Yeas and Nays were
taken, alphabetically, and to my astonlsbment,
found every Democrat voting No; Fillmore, Mason,
lrgersoll and Marsha voting in the affirmative; ny
vote would decide the question either way. 10 tell
tie truth had paid no attention to the matter. Luxe
the majority around me, considered it great hum.
bug. had not the fantest idea OF the Importance OF
nv VOTE But as fortune would have it, recollected
thst Mr. Morse then experimenting in the Capitol
with his telegraph. He had stretched wire from
the basement story to the snte-:oom of the Senate
Cham Der, and it was in my power to satisfy my,
tef in regard to its feasibility. l determined
to Try it. 1 asked leave to consider my vote. 1t
was granted l immediately stepped out OF the
committee room, ard went to the sute-ehamber
found !. crowded with Representatives and strangers
Ireouested ne, nission TO put question to the mad
man at the ether end Of the wire. IL was granted
| in meo atey wrote the quetion and handed 1t to
tie elegrepher. The crowd ciied read read IN
| a very sio,t time the answer received. When
written cut the same cry of read read! came IRON
| the crowd. To my utter astonlshment found thst
the madmen at the other end OF the wire had more wit
| and force than the COpgressmen at this end. lie
tuned the laugh upon me completely. Bat, as you
| know we Western men are never satisfied with one
fall that less than two out three can force from
| US an acknowledgment Of defeat. 30 put sscond
| question. and there came second answer. If the
frat raised laugh at my expense the second convert
| ed that laugh into a rosr and shout. was more
than ss,fed me cpSaa pkasd pg 10y bs sg E
halls ard passages Of the Capitol that shout followed
ne. AS matter Ct course, voed in the atfrmatiye
Of The molten then pending before the Commite '
| ard it prevailed. The Chairman reported the oi!l.
| The House. if mistake not, passed II mem con- win
cut sskirg the Yeas and Nays. And thus concuIrng,
| the Wig portion Of that Committee and that OLD
NewYoiker played the psl. 81 ieaSe1a 1sws,a % as
prsctcabllity Cf the most smszlog nveDton Oh ths
see, tie Magnetic Telegraph If the Committee hsd
eLored the proposition, there is To telling wna wouid
| fsye been the result. That the experiment would
have been fuslly made, one can entertain doubt
| But when or by whom is the question. IL was not
within the rauge Of Individual fortune to make IT,,
| ard. if il was, rome but Prof Morse would have
lazsrded it. Had he failed, il might have shared the
fate of the Ocean Telegraph. Although conceived
| years ago, as read in Cincinnsu psper lew days
since by the editor CT The Commercial, and apphca
ton was made to Congress for assistance, whcn wa
entirely oisregarded, yet English segscty eezed wt1
aydity what American supineness had neglected., anG
took the initiative in tti magnificent enterprise ano
plucked from American bIoTs the glory Of the scHsfe
LeLt.
Party demsgogues in Indians, says an exch .nge
used the telegraph vote Of Gov. Wallace to his dissd
ytpsge and tucceed in making the people generally
regard it with utter contempt. One old Shelby County
farmer urged the Governor to deny having voted FOL
the telegraph and Jerry johnson, 10 show his con
tempt for the bumbug, suggested that :" We woult
next hear Of the people driving God Almighty
"BghtuI acrcss the ocean to split Europe into irsg
"uentP.
HOW THE SOUTH AND NORTH DIFFER.
The Richmond South concludes an article, contain
ing glowing accounts of the reception OF the news
tie Ocean Telegraph in the Free States ss follows
"Thus throughout the States north Of US does the
excitement and turOre rage and foam ard bubble and
boil Hereaboute and south Of Us the mans ap-
pears in a midsr form. 1t presents Zone OF those
| violent epssns which We observe IL the Free
| States but is a sober, calm satisfaction with the
| results achieved and nothing more. And yet It is not
| the campess Of indifference Not at all The people
of the Southern States as deeply interested 10 this