ight.
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 naive 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
henceforth on an honest footing."

Morse more impulsively exclaims in his reply:--

"Is it possible that there are men who hold up their heads in civilized
society who can unblushingly take the position which the so-called
California State Telegraph Company has deliberately taken?

"Accept the proposition? Yes, I will accept it when I can consent to the
housebreaker who has entered my house, packed up my silver and plated
ware, and then coolly says to me--'Allow me to take what I have packed up
and I will select out that which is worthless and give it to you, after I
have used it for a few years, provided any of it remain!'

"A more unprincipled set of swindlers never existed. Who is this Mr.
Latham that he could recommend our accepting such terms?"

In addition to the opposition of open enemies and unprincipled pirates,
Morse and Kendall were sometimes hampered by the unjust suspicions of
some of those whose interests they were striving to safeguard. Referring
to one such case in a letter of June 15, 1855, Mr. Kendall says:--

"If there should be opposition I count on the Vails again