SENATORSHIP AT ALB ANY -1864 -1865 107 



there came in from the superintendent of public instruc- 

 tion, Mr. Victor Rice, a plan for codifying the edu- 

 cational laws of the State. This necessitated a world of 

 labor on my part. Section by section, paragraph by 

 paragraph, phrase by phrase, I had to go through it, and 

 night after night was devoted to studying every part 

 of it in the light of previous legislation, the laws of other 

 States, and such information as could be obtained from 

 general sources. At last, after much alteration and re- 

 vision, I brought forward the bill, secured its passage, 

 and I may say that it was not without a useful influence 

 upon the great educational interests of the State. 



I now brought forward another educational bill. Va- 

 rious persons interested in the subject appeared urging 

 the creation of additional State normal schools, in order 

 to strengthen and properly develop the whole State 

 school system. At that time there was but one ; that one at 

 Albany; and thus our great Commonwealth was in this 

 respect far behind many of her sister States. The whole 

 system was evidently suffering from the want of teachers 

 thoroughly and practically equipped. Out of the multi- 

 tude of projects presented, I combined what I thought 

 the best parts of three or four in a single bill, and al- 

 though at first there were loud exclamations against so 

 lavish a use of public money, I induced the committee 

 to report my bill, argued it in the Senate, overcame much 

 opposition, and thus finally secured a law establishing 

 four State normal schools. 



Still another duty imposed upon me necessitated much 

 work for which almost any other man in the Senate would 

 have been better equipped by experience and knowledge 

 of State affairs. The condition of things in the city of 

 New York had become unbearable; the sway of Tam- 

 many Hall had gradually brought out elements of oppo- 

 sition such as before that time had not existed. Tweed 

 was already making himself felt, though he had not yet 

 assumed the complete control which he exercised after- 

 ward. The city system was bad throughout; but at the 



