Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
Share image
1
378
The Story of the Atlantic Telegraph
·
Henry M. Field
97
Mr.
Rusk
made
the
same
point,
in
arguing
that
ships
might
be
sent
to
assist
in
laying
the
cable,
giving
this
homely
but
sufficient
reason:
"I
think
that
is
better
than
to
keep
them
rotting
at
the
navy-yards,
with
the
officers
frollicking
on
shore."
Mr.
Douglas
urged
still
further:
"American
citizens
have
commenced
this
enterprise.
The
honor
and
the
glory
of
the
achievement,
if
successful,
will
be
due
to
American
genius
and
American
daring.
Why
should
the
American
Government
be
so
penurious--I
do
not
know
that
that
is
the
proper
word,
for
it
costs
nothing--why
should
we
be
actuated
by
so
illiberal
a
spirit
as
to
refuse
the
use
of
one
of
our
steamships
to
convey
the
wire
when
it
does
not
cost
one
farthing
to
the
Treasury
of
the
United
States?"
But
behind
all
these
objections
of
expense
and
of
want
of
constitutional
power,
was
one
greater
than
all,
and
that
was
England!
The
real
animus
of
the
opposition
was
a
fear
of
giving
some
advantage
to
Great
Britain.
This
has
always
been
sufficient
to
excite
the
hostility
of
a
certain
class
of
politicians.
No
matter
what
the
subject
of
the
proposed
cooperation,
if
it
were
purely
a
scientific
expedition,
they
were
sure
England
was
going
to
profit
by
it
to
our
injury.
So
now
there
were
those
who
felt
that
in
this
submarine
cable
England
was
literally
crawling
under
the
sea
to
get
some
advantage
of
the
United
States!
This
jealousy
and
hostility
spoke
loudest
from
the
mouths
of
Southerners.
It
is
noteworthy
that
men
who,
in
less
than
five
years
after,
were
figuring
abroad,
courting
foreign
influence
against
their
own
country,
were
then
fiercest
in
denunciation
of
England.
Mason
and
Slidell
voted
together
against
the
bill.
Butler,
of
South
Carolina,
was
very
bitter
in
his
opposition--saying,
with
a
sneer,
that
"this
was
simply
a
mail
service
under
the
surveillance
of
Great
Britain"--and
so
was
Hunter,
of
Virginia;
while
Jones,
of
Tennessee,
bursting
with
patriotism,
found
a
sufficient
reason
for
his
opposition,
in
that
"he
did
not
want
anything
to
do
with
England
or
Englishmen!"
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
