302 AS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT -II 



in the legislature, were ready to exchange services and 

 votes. 



The coalition of all these forces against the Cornell 

 University bill soon became very formidable, and the com- 

 mittee on education in the Assembly, to which the bill had 

 been referred, seemed more and more controlled by them. 

 Our only hope now was to enlighten the great body of the 

 senators and assemblymen. To this end Mr. Cornell in- 

 vited them by squads, sometimes to his rooms at Congress 

 Hall, sometimes to mine at the Delavan House. There he 

 laid before them his general proposal and the financial 

 side of the plan, while I dwelt upon the need of a univer- 

 sity in the true sense of the word; upon the opportunity 

 now offered , by this great fund; upon the necessity of 

 keeping it together ; upon the need of large means to carry 

 out any scheme of technical and general education such 

 as was contemplated by the congressional act of 1862; 

 showed the proofs that the Peagle^s^^ollege would and 

 couTd^^nothing to meet this want; that division of the 

 fund among the existing' colleges was simply the Annihila- 

 tion of it; and, in general, did my best to enlighten the 

 reason and arouse the patriotism of the members on the 

 subject of a worthy university in. our State. These points 

 and others were finally embodied in my speech before the 

 Senate, and this having been published in the " Albany 

 Journal," Mr. Cornell provided for its circulation broad- 

 cast over the State and thus aroused public opinion. 



In this way we won to our support several strong 

 friends in both Houses, among them some men of great 

 natural force of character who had never enjoyed the 

 privilege of much early education, but who were none the 

 less anxious that those who came after them should have 

 the best opportunities. Of these I may name especially 

 Senators Cook of Saratoga and Ames of Oswego. Men 

 of high education and culture also aided us, especially 

 Mr. Andrews, Mr. Havens, and, finally, Judge Folger in 

 the Senate, with Mr. Lord and Mr. Weaver in the As- 

 sembly. 



