The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-01-27


rfrst Rseults q Professor Morss's Dis
covsry-A Weeks Earnings IN lSSS.
"Wheu I went west from Washington
that spring." said Mr. John w. Kirk, an
old friend Of Professor Morse, II took
along with me samples Of the indented
strips of paper as they came from the re-
ceiying instrument AnClenthusiast,
talked of telegraphy to everybody met.
In Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis
and other western centers met college
professors, business men and other people
ranked high for intellect, knowledge and
common sense, and all, or nearly all, were
pronounced skeptics as to the PRACTICABLE.
itv of Morse's idea. And am putting II
A little mild, think, in saying that the
impression wasn't long In getting abroad
that was "a little or" meant we'll,
hut I didn't know The last remember
Of some Of my friends out there they were
still plying me.
"r was in Indiana in the autumn after
congress had made n thirty thousand dol
lar appropriation to Morse for his expert
mental line. The Congressman OF that
district was up for reelection. Poor, de-
lnded man, he had unfortunately voted
for that appropriation He had been for
years the political pride OF the district.
The people out there would give him any
thing he'd take II they he'd the giving OF
it. OF course he didn't doubt that he
would be reelected as II by reclamation;
but before election day he saw things diff
ferently A young man whom nobody
had ever heard much Of before got an op-
position nomination and went stumping
all over the district, and before long the
fight became very warm. i have not one
word to say against my opponent. SO the
young man always began bis speech.
Hes gentleman; his character cannot
be impeached; he Is honest, reasonable,
we'll informed, good neighbor, and a real
nice man. But, gentlemen, while he was
In congress he voted your money away
upon claptrap things like this, and the
nominee, producing o congressional docu-
ment, proceeded to read the text Of the
bill which appropriated $4,000 for
Morse's experiments. Thirty thousand
dollarsr he would exclaim. Thirty thou
sand of your hard-earned dollars, gentle
men. For whatS Why, TO settle-listen
to the bill, gentlemen--to settle the prac-
ticability Of sending messages by cleo
tricity over wires stretching long dis.
tances What do you think Of 1t, gentle.
men, Yes, my opponent is good man;
he means WE'LL but really, has his rest
dencc in Washington helped him any II
he had stayed here at homo with us,
would he ever have voted our money away
for such crazy purpose? Still, II you
think it right to vote for a man who can
be fooled In this way, gentlemen, all right,
but
"The old man was defeated"
Mr.. Kirk told this further incident, that
from IN irresponsible source would sound
much like romance: Just after the first
telegraph Office was opened In Washing
ton, occupying little room over the city
postoffice, a member OF the cabinet ell.
tered one day in a hurry, and, handing in
bulky document, directed the operator
to telegraph it over 10 Baltimore right
away" II was closed with o great seal,
which the operator proceeded to break,
much to the establishment OF the states
man, who, Directing, declared that the
paper contained state secret, and Of
course must not be exposed to any unoM-
cial eye.
But can't telegraph 1t without read
it," insisted the operator.
"Well, then, You can't send it at all, "
and the high official left, excited and
threatening He believed he was being
trifled with. His idea was that the teie-
graph was sort of aerial express for the
whisking Of packages through air-prob-
ably by htching them on to the wire by q
good tough piece of twins.
Here is entertainment In transcript Of
the earnings Of that original Washington
telegraph Office for the first week--in
April, 1845--that it was open for regular
business: