The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-01-04
ADDITIONAL EDITORIAL
A BRILLIANT PROSPECT,

Plutocracy now owns the daily papers
of the world, and they have sole access to
the minds and conscience of the people.
But here is something that may smash
the newspaper trust:
Provisional protection has just been
granted for an invention that is said to
carry the voice loudly and clearly for
distance Of miles, says the London Daily
Mail.
1t is claimed by the inventor that the
lifting Of his apparatus in the house Of
commons, and connecting it to Hyde Pax,
would allow of thousands of people hear
ing in clear tones every word spoken in
the parliamentary chamber
This discovery of the power to magnify
all sounds, both vocal and instrumental, has
been made by Horace L. Short, con-
sulting mechanical engineer of New NAL
den. Surrey The inventor has had a
varied and worldwide experience, although
only young man. Educated at the Ris-
ley grammar school, Derby, he was after
wards employed at the Stanton Iron Works
In the Midlands, at Messrs. Crompton &
Co.'S electricians and ultimately at the
Chatham dockyard. He resigned this last
position to go to Mexico as chief engineer
of the COmpagnie Minerale de Panuco. 1t
Was there that he brought his experiments
with what Is really Photographic voice.
trumpet OIL great OlSIdNCS-CO vCrlnR capacity,
to the pitch of What he regards as practic IL
success
"A Daily Mall representative saw the in
strument working INDOORS, and had an in
terview with Mr.. Short who took the APP
par" us to pieces in his presence. The SIM
plicity of the discovery is, perhaps, the
most important part Of the invention. With
out divu!ging any details which it Is neces-
sary to keep secret until the patents now
applied for have been granted, it may be
stated that the apparatus consists Of a
photograph with special cylinders and bear
ing funnel-sh lped mOuth-plece.
Most persons have heard with tubes in
their ears the records of the phonograph.
The instrument gives forth the mu-
steal and vocal sounds in such volume as
to be almost deafening in ordinary
sized room, and. as Mr.. Short showed. he
could increase this volume at WILL
my instrument" he said, will work dis
tinctly and with satisfaction over Two
miles, and this l have actually proved 1t
is only six months since l returned to Eng
land, but the experiments made IN that
time convince me that the voice can be
conveyed ever treble that distance with
ease. My first idea of its use was for ship
captains when in a heavy fog at sea, CIR
for ships passing each other at night at a
distance. When their lights only were Wis
ible. Now however. l realize that telephones
can be made by the new sound ma gnifier
to amplify a speakers voice that it will
fill the largest hall. This will allow of a
Political speaker or professional vocalist
entertaining three or four audiences seated
in halls wide apart at one and the same
time.
I'm time of war the admiral in command
will by means of my invention be able to
issue his own orders by word of mouth to
the different ships of his squadron Light
houses may speak to ships in dangerous
positions, and the vessels themselves COM
~, no
by aid of this invention. Orderlies will no
longer risk their lives, except where abso-
lutte secrecy is required, in carrying orders
under fire from a commanding general to
the battalio IS Of his army.
Just as the power of the eyes has been
increased so that the distance between the
heavens and the earth has been consider
ably decrease so has this, discovery in
tenSified the space over which the human
voice. and sound generally, will travel"
Think of the difference this may make
in political campaigning! Instead of
having to hire halls for $40, $25 or 500
each and pay large sums for printing and
posting hand bills to reach few hun
dred intellects, representatives of the
Peoples Party will take one of these ma
chimes, open the window of his room and
let fly an Grafton that will be heard by
100000 people in circuit of two miles
diameter
Henry Feig, of Minnesota, and Brother
Worsely, of Wisconsin, would be no
where!
And what would be the use of pluto
cracy spending half a million dollars to
buy daily paper, to deceive and mislead
the voters, when great voice, thous-
and-fold bigger than Jim Bowler's, would
below forth a complete refutation of all
it's falsehOods
The last year of the century opens aus
piciously for liberty and fair play. 1. D.