The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1914-10-02

Maybe it was something like that
which arrested the attention of
Morse. Maybe it was the single SEN
tence which Shakespeare made Puck
say: II will put girdle round
about the earth in forty minutes"
that led Morse to investigate whether
a voice could not be evoked from
electricity.
He worked upon that until the
voice responded to him. Then he
made a code for it and the keys be-
side each other and connected them
with a wire which was stretched
around the room.
Then he sent a message through
one machine and heard it delivered
to the other. Then he taught an
assistant the code, then placed the
one instrument far away in another
room, connected the two, then sent
messages and received replies and
knew that the miracle had been per-
formed.
Then he went to Washington, by
permission stretched his wire around
the rotunda of the capitol and sent
and received answers to the mes
ages that congressman sent. They
admitted that it was a most ingen-
ious toy, but their dimmed eyes could
see no practical use it could be put
to, and adjourned without giving him
even the small appropriation needed
to make striking test. At last the
postmaster general IN the interests
of xpediting the carrying of the
mails, gave him money enough to
build a rude line to Baltimore from
Washington. At first Morse had in
sisted that the wires must be buried
in tube in the ground to do good
service, until his friend and assistant
proved to him that the work could
just as well be done OF poles, which
would reduce the cost 10 reason
able sum. So the line was stretch
ed between Washington and Balti-
more and tested. Then a national
convention met in Baltimore and
nominated Q presidential candidate.
Delegates rushed from the conven-
ton hall to the railroad to carry the
first news of the nomination to that
city. When they arrived in Washing
ton their news was being sold in
extras with the heading, "By Mag
netic Telegraph"
After that the eastern states were
. swiftly girdled by telegraph wires.
It was told of a sturdy but stupid
congressman from Indiana that two
years after he had refused to vote
for a small appropriation to help
Morse make start, he received at
his home in Indiana dispatch from
friend in Washington sent the same
day. Then he was asked what he
thought of the telegraph. He turned
the dispatch over; there was the date
and the important news. He drew
a long breath and said: cit may dc
far small packages, but still insist
.. that it will never be worth a cont.
/. mental for heavy freight
Morse lived to see his miracle
work all the long way between the
seas and under the sea to the old
world. To see it made a messenger
everywhere, to see it stop wars, tc
see it the right arm of great indus.
l. trial enterprises; to enable men sep
1 arated by oceans and continents able
to converse as man converses side by
side with his fellow man; lived tc
realize that were the invention which
he had made struck out of existence
= it would be like turning back the
T wheels of civilization and be g
: mighty sorrow and loss to all civiliz
ed men.
The world bestowed honors anc
: wealth upon him; his name is linked
: with the immortals.-Goowin
Weekly.