Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-01-15


visionary scheme to extort money from the
public Golfers. Its inventor was no more
subjected to the suspicion of lunacy, nor
ridiculed in the halls of Congress. MY
earliest desire and intentions were that the
Government should possess the control OF
such power as could not but foresee
was inherent in the telegraph. Vastas It's
pecuniary value doomed up in the minds
of some, in the contemplation OF its future,
was neither dazzled with its vision OF I'M
told wealth, nor tempted to make an ex-
tortionate demand upon the Government
for its possession. Not merely all my own
property had been expended on the In
vention, but large sums had been adj
vanced by my associates, and these were
any offer of sale. I had already init
mated, at various times, my readiness to
surrender the invention to the con-
troll of the Government. i engaged ex-
pressly "to enter into no arrangements to
dispose Of my rights as the inventor and
patentee to any individual or company OF
individuals previous to offering it to the
Government for such just and reasonable
compensation as might be mutually agreed
upon" In conformity with this promise
i
to the Government for the sum OF $780,
O00) one Zat1adred thousand dollars. Strange
as it may now seem, no response was made
to this offer-no notice taken of it except
to request from the Postmaster General a
report on the general subject of the tele
graph. The Hon. Cave Johnson, who
had distinguished himself in ridiculing and
opposing the telegraph before Congress,
held the Office of Postmaster General in
1916, and the experiment line between
Washington and Baltimore, which be-
longed to the Government, was put under
his control. Finding no disposition on
the part of the Government to make any
arrangement for controlling the whole
invention, one-half the time granted by
the patent having expired, was forced to
look to other sources for the means OF
reimbursing myself for the expenditures
incurred. | obtained the services of the
Hon. Amos Kendall, through whose
skill and experience as q former Post
master General, joint stock companies
were formed to extend the lines east
ward from Baltimore to New York, and
westward from New York to Buffalo.
Not willing to shut the door to negotia-
ton with the Government for the posses
sion of the invention, caused clause to
be inserted in every contract making pro-
vision to surrender the contract in favor
of the Government on certain liberal con-
ditions, provided arrangements for It's pur-
chase were concluded within limited
time-the 4th of March, 1647. The time
expired, and nothing was done. The
proposition was virtually killed by the
Postmaster General, who, in his report,
although speaking of the invention as " an
agent vastly superior to any other ever
devised by the genius of man," yet adds,
"The operation Of the telegraph between
this city Washington and Baltimore, has
not satisfied me that under any rate Of
postage that can be adopted, its revenues
can be made to equal its expenditures.
This opinion from so responsible and
official source could not but operate dis
astrously upon Congress in regard to any
proposition for the purchase of the inven'
ton But the influence of that opinion
was felt beyond the walls of Congress
The companies which had been formed
for constructing the telegraph from Balti'
more to New York and from New York
to Buffalo, in the belief that the revenues
would at least equal the expenditures,
were for the moment paralyzed, and but
for the indomitable energy and faith OF
some of those men who early embarked
their pecuniary means in the enterprise,
the telegraph might even now be looked
upon as too expensive to be practical.