St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-09-27
SHOOK THEIR HEADS
CAPITALISTS Did Not Take Kindly to
Morse's Invention.
Declined for a Long Time to Invest
In Telegraph StOck-GOvern-
ment Control SugEested
in 1S45.
Especial Washington letter.
err rnE is reIlc of struggling
Industry, the handwriting OF

Industry, the handwriting OF
d genus said Mr.. Max
LansDurgh, student, scientist, philos-
opher and retired capitalist.
He handed the narrator pamphlet
bearing the imprint OF j. q Il. S. Gid
con, Washington, 1915" The title
page reads: description of the
American Electro Magnetic Tele-
graph; now in operation between the
cities Of Washington and Baltimore;
illustrated by fourteen wood engrav-
ings. By Alfred Vail assistant super
intendent of the Elec. Mag. Tel for the
y. S."
Beneath the title, in small type, is
quotation from the report of the COM
mittee on ways and means of the
house of representatives, 1s45, as fol-
lows: 1.-The same principle which JUS
titled and demanded the transference
of the mail on many chief routes,
from the horse-drawn coach on the
common highway to m-impelled
vehicles, on land and water, is equally
potent to warrant the calling OF the
electro magnetic telegraph-that last
and most wondrous birth of this TEEN
ing age-in aid of the post office, in
discharge of it's great function of rap
idly transmitting correspondence and
intelligence"
The philosopher observed: "You will
see that almost sixty years ago the
far-seeing statesmen intended that
the telegraph should become vehicle
of the post office department. All OF
those statements are in their graves,
but the idea which most impressed
them has not yet been developed into
an actual condition. 1t is yet theory.
OF course the government uses wires
for almost all of it's correspondence
on affairs requiring immediate trans
mission of intelligence. individuals ex-
pend many millions of dollars for tele-
grams. But the time has not yet ar
rived for the government to apply the
principle enunciated in that commit
tee report.
''The wording of the report is sig
nifcant of the age. Only few years
had elapsed since the steam railroads
had succeeded the coaches in carrying
the mails. The men who formulated
that report had seen all of the mails
carried on coaches or on horseback
when they were children. They had
witnessed and participated in the long
struggle of the slow goers against the
steam locomotive. Therefore it was
that they referred to the principle
which justified and demanded the
transference from horse-drawn coach
es to steam-impelled vehicles They
undoubtedly expected during their
lifetimes to see the mails carried on
the wires, excepting, probably, the
newspapers and magazines.
II have often noticed" continued
the philosopher, shat all inventions
are timely; that they are projected
upon the world precisely when they
are required for the development of
mankind. The power which makes the
electricity of the clouds, the power
which lifted he veil for Benjamin
Franklin, prepared in many ways for
the then-coming civil war. The same
power to decelop in Ericcson's mind
the revolving monitor turret in time,
just to the very minute and second.
The same power developed the re-
peating rife in time to hasten the
close of that war. Great disclosures
like the magnet, movable types, the
compass, electricity in its various
forms and appliances, are not acct
dents. They are disclosed to mankind