Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-01-15
The eIegraph-Incidents Of Its Early
History.


PROFESSOR MORSE, inshis recent speech
at the the Morse banquet, in New York,
gave the following "reminiscences of the
early history of his great invention, par
ticularly in Congress:
The session of 1887 and 1888 passed
away with no other action on the subject
of the telegraph than a unanimously IA
vorable report from the House Committee
OF Commerce An interval of four years
occurred before the attention of Congress
could be again reused to consider the mat
ter. Senator Benton in the abridged de-
bates gives in brief the kind of reception
the bill for aid to test the telegraph met
with in the House from certain members.
AS the narrative is very short allow me to
quote it :ai Ha
7 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,,
* m February 81, 1843.
ELECTRO AND ANIMAL MAGNETISM.
On motion of Mr.. Kennedy, of Mary
land, the committee took up the bill to
authorize series of experiments to be
made in order to test the merits of Morse's
electro. magnetic telegraph. The bill ap-
propriates 100000 to be expended under
the direction of the Postmaster General
Mr.. Cave johnson wished to have q
word to say upon this bill. AS the pres
ent Congress had done much to encourage
science, he did not wish to see the science
of mesmerism neglected and overlooked
He therefore proposed that one-half the
appropriation be given to Mr.. Fisk, "a
gentleman at that time lecturing in Wash
ington on mesmerism), to enable him to
carry on experiments as well as Professor
Morse.
Mr. Houston thought that Millerism
should also be included in the benefits of
the appropriation.
Mr. Stanley said he should have no OBJ
lection to the appropriation for mesmeric
experiments, provided the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Johnson) was the subject
"a laugh.)
Mr.. Cave johnson said he should have
| no objection, provided the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Stanly) was the ope-
rator (Great laughter)
Several gentlemen called for the reading
| of the amendment, and it was read by the
Clerk as follows:
Provided, That one-haf of the said sum
shall be appropriated for trying mesmeric
| experiments under the direction of the
| Secretary of the Treasury.
! Mr.. Mason (of Ohio) rose to q question
| of order. He maintained that the amend
| ment was net bona ftde, and that such
amendments were calculated to injure the
| character of the House. He appealed to
| the Chair to rule the amendment out of
order.
The Chairman said it was not for him to
Judge of the motives of members in offer
ing amendments, and he could not there
| fore, undertake to pronounce the amend
ment not bona fde. Objections might be
raised to it on the ground that it was not
sufficiently analogous in character to the
bill under consideration; but in the opin-
| ion of the Chair it would require scien-
| tific ANALYSIS to determine how far the
magnetism of mesmerism was analogous
to that to be employed in telegraphs-
-(laughter)- therefore, ruled the
amendment in order. On taking the vote
the amendment was rejected-ayes % ;
noes not counted. The bill was then laid
aside to be reported. @ts
| The temper of the House is easily in
ferred from this narrative. To those who
thus ridiculed the telegraph, it was Chi
mera, visionary dream like mesmerism,
| rather to be a matter of merriment than
seriously entertained. Men OF character,
men of erudition, men who in ordinary
affairs had foresight, were wholly unable
| to forecast the future of the telegraph. L
was told at the time by many personal
| friends in the House that the bill finally
passed, more out of Difference to my per-
sonal standing than from any just appre-
ciatien of the importance of the inven-
ton, which compliment, however crafty
ing to personal pride, was fully offset by
perceiYing the low estimate of the result of
my labors. Other motions disparaging to
the invention were made, such as PROPOSE
tions to appropriate part of the sum to a
telegraph to the moon. The majority of
Congress did not concur in this attempt to
defeat the measure by ridicule, and the
bill was passed by the close vote of SO to
SO. A change of three votes, however,
would have consigned the invention to
oblivion. That this was not its fate is
mainly due to the perseverance and fore
sight of the distinguished member from
Maryland, Hon. j. P. Kennedy and Hon.
G. G.. Ferris, of New York, and Hon. Col
onel Aycrigg, Of New Jersey, and Mason,
of Ohio. The struggles of the telegraph
before Congress were not ended with the
passage of the bill, to test its capacity be-
tween two distant cities. Another year
witnessed the triumphant success OF the
test OF its practicability. The invention
vindieated it's character as substantial
reality, II was no longer chimers, q