Congressman Wallace’s Telegraph Vote Cost Him Re-election
Lew Wallace (later governor of New Mexico), was the fifth member of a committee deadlocked on Morse’s request. [4] He returned and voted for the $30,000 appropriation, allowing Morse to make telegraphy successful. [4] Wallace then went back to his Richmond district—a strong Whig constituency—and stood for re-election. [4] The Democrats put up Bill Brown. [4] During joint stump speeches, Brown would ask the crowd what Wallace had done in Congress, then reveal he voted $30,000 for a thing called the electro-magnetic telegraph. [1] Wallace stood up, admitted he voted for the money, and tried to explain why. [2] The old Whigs shook their heads and said they could not vote for him if he was guilty of such folly. [3] The district gave Bill Brown a 15,000 majority because Wallace voted the money that gave the world telegraphy. [3][5]
Sources
- “What do you think, fellow citizens, Mr… (1891)“What do you think, fellow citizens, Mr. Wallace did in congress? He voted $30,000 — yes, $30,000 of the people’s money — for a thing called the electro-magnetic telegraph. What Is that? What! It is a wire strung…
- And Wallace stood up like a man, said he… (1891)And Wallace stood up like a man, said he voted for the money, and tried to explain why. Then the old Whigs shook their heads and said: “Wallace, we can’t vote for you if you
- are guilty of such a piece of folly as that… (1891)are guilty of such a piece of folly as that. You ought to be put in a strait-jacket.” The strong Whig district gave Bill Brown 15000 majority because Wallace voted the money which gave the world telegraphy.
- A GATLING GUN (1891)A GATLING GUN Dr. Gatling, the gun inventor, was in Washington when Morse’s wire stretched a few miles out into the country and back again. The inventor of the telegraph had not then reached the discovery of t…
- Silver City Enterprise — 1891 (full OCR, Internet Archive) — 1891-04-24 (1891)ll Brown 15000 majority because Wallace voted the money which gave the world telegraphy. DOWN THE GILA Adventurous Trip of Two Men in a Boat Yuma Times. Two men arrived here last week who had accomplished …