Go forward, my friends, in your patriotic work, and may God bless you in
your labors with eminent success.

It has been shown, I think, in the course of this work, that Morse, while
long-suffering and patient under trials and afflictions, was by no means
poor-spirited, but could fight and use forceful language when roused by
acts of injustice towards himself, his country, or his sense of right.
Nothing made him more righteously angry than dishonesty in whatever form
it was manifested, and the following incident is characteristic.

On June 26, 1855, Mr. Kendall forwarded a letter which he had received
from a certain Milton S. Latham, member of Congress from California,
making a proposition to purchase the Morse patent rights for lines in
California. In this letter occur the following sentences: "For the use of
Professor Morse's patent for the State of California in perpetuity, with
the reservations named in yours of the 3d March, 1855, addressed to me,
they are willing to give you $30,000 in their stock. This is all they
will do. It is proper I should state that the capital stock of the
California State Telegraph in cash was $75,000, which they raised to
$150,000, and subsequently to $300,000. The surplus stock over the cash
stock was used among members of the Legislature to procure the passage of
the act incorporating the company, and securing for it certain
privileges."

Mr. Kendall in his letter enclosing this naïve business proposition,
remarks: "It is an impressive commentary on the principles which govern
business in California that this company doubled their stock to bribe
members of the State Legislature, and are now willing to add but ten per
cent to be relieved from the position of patent pirates and placed