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378
The Story of the Atlantic Telegraph
·
Henry M. Field
96
Of
course,
as
in
all
appropriations
of
money,
the
question
of
expense
had
to
be
considered,
and
here
there
were
not
wanting
some
to
cry
out
against
the
extravagance
of
paying
seventy
thousand
dollars
a
year!
We
had
not
then
got
used
to
the
colossal
expenditures
of
war,
when
we
grew
familiar
with
paying
three
millions
a
day!
Seventy
thousand
dollars
seemed
a
great
sum;
but
Mr.
Bayard
in
reply
reminded
them
that
England
then
paid
nine
hundred
thousand
dollars
a
year
for
the
transportation
of
the
mails
between
the
United
States
and
England;
and
argued
that
it
was
a
very
small
amount
for
the
great
service
rendered.
He
said:
"We
have
sent
out
ships
to
make
explorations
and
observations
in
the
Red
Sea
and
in
South
America;
we
sent
one
or
two
expensive
expeditions
to
Japan,
and
published
at
great
cost
some
elegant
books
narrating
their
exploits.
The
expense
even
in
ships
alone,
in
that
instance,
was
at
the
rate
of
twenty
to
one
here,
but
no
cry
of
economy
was
then
raised."
"I
look
upon
this
proposition
solely
as
a
business
measure;
in
that
point
of
view
I
believe
the
Government
will
obtain
more
service
for
the
amount
of
money,
than
by
any
other
contract
that
we
have
ever
made,
or
now
can
make,
for
the
transmission
of
intelligence."
As
to
the
expense
of
furnishing
a
ship
of
war
to
assist
in
laying
the
cable,
Mr.
Douglas
asked:
"Will
it
cost
anything
to
furnish
the
use
of
one
of
our
steamships?
They
are
idle.
We
have
no
practical
use
for
them
at
present.
They
are
in
commission.
They
have
their
coal
on
board,
and
their
full
armament.
They
will
be
rendering
no
service
to
us
if
they
are
not
engaged
in
this
work.
If
there
was
nothing
more
than
a
question
of
national
pride
involved,
I
would
gladly
furnish
the
use
of
an
American
ship
for
that
purpose.
England
tenders
one
of
her
national
vessels,
and
why
should
we
not
tender
one
also?
It
costs
England
nothing,
and
it
costs
us
nothing."
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