CHAPTER VIII 



ROSCOE CONKLING AND JUDGE FOLGEE 1867-1868 



A T the beginning of my fourth year at Albany, in 

 JL\_ 1867, came an election to "ffie Senate of the United 

 States. Of the two senators then representing the State, 

 one, Edwin D. Morgan, had been governor, and combined 

 the qualities of a merchant prince and of a shrewd politi- 

 cian; the other, Ira Harris, had been a highly respected 

 judge, and was, from every point of view, a most worthy 

 man : but unfortunately neither of these gentlemen seemed 

 to exercise any adequate influence in solving the main 

 questions then before Congress. 



No more important subjects have ever come before that 

 body than those which arose during the early years of 

 the Civil War, and it was deeply felt throughout the State 

 that neither of the senators fitly uttered its voice or exer- 

 cised its influence. 



Mr. Cornell, with whom I had then become intimate, was 

 never censorious ; rarely did he say anything in disappro- 

 val of any man ; he was charitable in his judgments, and 

 generally preferred to be silent rather than severe ; but I 

 remember that on his return from a stay in Washing- 

 ton, he said to me indignantly: " While at the Capitol 

 I was ashamed of the State of New York : one great ques- 

 tion after another came up ; bills of the highest importance 

 were presented and discussed by senators from Ohio, Ver- 

 mont, Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, and the rest; but from 

 New York never a word!" 



The question now was, who should succeed Senator 



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