Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-05-07

1t seems that Mr.. Morse had special
friend in John B. Floyd, who improved
his position as Secretary of War under
buchanan to play into the hands of the
Rebels. Morse was a resident of Lou
isiana vixen he brought his breech-
loading improvements to the attention
Of the Government. Patents were
promptly issued to him, and the South
ern politicians secured an appropria-
tion of S25, 1000 from Congress to pro-
vide for the manufacture of his guns.
Secretary Floyd entered into large con-
tracts with Morse, and the machinery
and facilities for making the new arms
were located at Harper's Ferry. Here
the entire plant was soon after capt
ured by the Rebels, and Morse himself
went to Richmond, took out patents
under the Confederate Government,
and began the manufacture of arms for
the Rebel service with the tools which
the United States Government had pur-
chased He first set up business at
Nashville, then moved TO Chattanooga,
next went to Atlanta, and finally set
tied in Greenville, S. c., where he con-
tinued the business of supplying the
Rebel army with improved death-deal-
ing weapons until the collapse of the
Rebellion. For all this Mr.. Morse is
convinced that the United States Gov
ernment ought to pay him literally, but
now is swilling-generous soull-to COM
promise upon special privileges for the
next eight years.
Mr.. Morse's high patriotism has suf-
fered one misfortune. 1t seems that
one of the conditions for renewal of
patents requires that the original letters
shall be produced. Mr.. Morse is un-
able to comply with this rule, and he
asks the Government to make an excep-
tion of his case in consideration for his
distinguished loyalty and eminent serv-
ices in the past. The fact is that Mr..
Morse's original patents were DESTROYED
by accident. They were burned They
happened to be among the Confederate
archives which were destroyed by fire
in 1865. Mr.. Morse unfortunately took
them with him when he went from
Washington to Richmond at the OUT
break of the war, and fled them in the
Confederate Patent Office He would
not have done so if he could have fore
seen the result of the "late unpleasant
ness" and he naturally thinks that this
little error of Judgment ought to be
overlooked, since his heart was all
right all the time. |t."
1t cannot be denied that Mr.. Morse's
claim upon the Government is a yery
strong one as it stands. He went over
to the Rebels Just as soon as he could
after the United States Government
had furnished him with $4,000 for
manufacturing his implements of de-
struction. The Rebels might have been
forced TO 60 into the fight with OBJ
solete and useless guns if it had not
been for Morse's supplying them
with a superior weapon at the ex-
pense Of their opponents. This cir
cumstance, coupled with the fact that
Morse remained with the Confederates
up to the last, certainly constitutes
powerful claim upon a Democratic Con-
gress which is under the dictation ard
control of an eX-Confederate caucus.
Nevertheless Morse and his friends
might increase the sense of obligation
which Democratic Congress must
necessarily entertain toward him.
If he could gather testimonials from the
leading Confederate officers who have
buIflNcu IlS WAL dS 10 inc 6ueCIlVen6SS
of his weapons; If he could show even
approximately how may more Union
soldiers were killed than would have
been killed with the old style of guns
in the hands Of the Rebels; If he could
demonstrate that the war was actually
prolonged by the use Of his breech-
leaders; if he could make up statistics of
the number of widows and orphans in
the North who may trace their bereave-
ment to the Morse gun, so patriotically
transferred to the Rebels at the very
beginning of the war and so Loyalty
devoted TO them as long as u cartridge
was left-then Mr.. Morse will not only
be entitled to renewal of his patents
for an indefinite period, but also to any
sum of money he may see fit to
demand, just as soon as the Democrats
shall come in complete possession of
the Government. = Chicago Tribune.