The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-06-25

mans, one for Episcopalians, q hospital, the CITY
Hall brick jan the CITY Hotel and BANK es1ao
In 1896 the corner stone OF what we now call the
old CAPITOL was Land by Philip s. Van Rensselaer,,
then Mayor, In the presence OF the Chancellor the
Judges OF the Supreme Court members OF the cor
poratlon the State House commissioners and the
leading citizens, as we learn from the newspapers
OF the day; and as Was then said. with the usual en-
thusastic accuracy OF such occasions, IL was 70 DC
butt on improved plans. embracing much elegance
with great convenience and durability"
There, my friends, 1t stands to-day, within our
view, monument OF what we call the Oden time;
and though not yet three score ana
memories OF the past OF this great and prosperous
State clustering around 1t. Almost the whole OF our
and written within its portals. There have been
raised the voices OF the great men OF other days,
whose names and words and deeds are still fresh In
the memory OF our people; Clinton and Tompkins,
Van Buren,, Marcy aud Wright, ana others now
with the dead. There justice was ad-
minlsiered with frm, wellbalanced hand, by
Kent, Spencer, Thompson, Beardsey, Jones, Savage,
Lansing, Bronson, WalwOrth and others, who made
the reputation Of New York law reports worldwide.
There constitutions have been framed and laws en-
acted under the benign influence OF which this State,
during the present century, has grown from nalf
million 10 four millions and half Of people, ma
ton In ITSELF
Where, now, are all who, less than seventy years
ago. stood where we stand when the old corner
stone was laid : PROBABLY not one witness OF that
ceremonial il among us to-day. Mans WORK Is more
Some Facts about The old Capitol in its early days
may be interesting to you Its total cost was about
$4,000, which was paid In part by the State and In
Revision, the Senate and Assembly, the supreme
Court and the Common Council or the city all at irst
and the State Library, the Society Of Ails and the
Board OF Agriculture, while the County Clerk and
the City Marshal occupied the basement. When
completed II was an OBJECT OF excessive admiration.
Travellers from abroad praised 1t. DR., stuart OF
Edtnburg, described as - fine large object"
sented O fine appearance. Professor Sllliman. In
1873 speaks OF It as large and handsome building
ment and courts OF law, and the furniture OF some
OF The Departments no says. exhibited good de.
gree Of elegance, and even some splendor while
another enthusiastic writer, born, l should
guess somewhere under our own starry banner,
satd in lS3a-"In the furniture OF the rooms there
is q LIBERAL display OF public munifcence and the
American eagle assumes an imperial splendor"
We can hardly realize the changes which have oc-
CURED since that corner stone was laid Then me
population less than six million. Republican gov
eminent was an experiment, just put upon ITS trial.
and It's resources, agricultural and mineral, mad
hardly commenced. The group Of what we call the
ern states made up the republic The star OF empire
had not yet taken Its way westward states and
Territories, now thronged with busy, energetic
population, were then dense wilderness, the abun-
dant riches of which were not even imagined Not
only beyond but far east OF the Aleghanles was an
Now th.rty-seven states make up our beloved
Union, which, thanks be 10 God, has been preserved
even amid the TRES o. terrible c,vil war tor
ing the hand OF common citizenshlp, from the
Canadian border to the Gulf OF Mexico, and from
the Atlantic coast, on which the early pilgrims
landed, to the golden shores Of the Pacific where
quarter OF a century ago no American citzen could
be found but where now exist two great and pros
porous States OF the American Union. Trials we
have had, almost beyond endurance 1t Is true.
The long smouldering fires OF sectional differences
and nate, kept IN subugattOn, as they were, for
many years by the earnest selfsacrllcing efforts OF
patriotic men, once burst forth into lame in which
the republic was very nearly consumed. But the
Union was saved, and 1t was saved because the
States OF which IL was made up were each OF them
an % naE ne non was
saved, not because 1t had what is called strong
government, ruling. as all strong governments DO,
over weak people, but the people were strong and
used to selI-Tellance; and they were able through
their State, county and town OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
S~n desnS the Integrity Of the uUon
the maintenance OF which as union OF
sovereign states they knew depended the welfare
are again at peace. determined to maintain repub-
lican form OF government and TO preserve alike the
and the perfect and harmonious union Of all.
have spoken Of the population OF this State then
and now. since then 1t mas made rapid progress,
not only in population but in ali that makes State
great. Then we had few emigrants from Europe
popuiatioS Of the state al that day land in the city
or New York and are distributed over our country
Of soaers since 1sen we nave Of
brave men and true for the war OF 1872, ana the
Mexican war; and In our late terrible civil contest
armed men, number about equal to its total popu-
lation less than seventy years ago; anu to-day in
New York has, nevertheless, volunteer force of
twenty thousand men, engaged other In peaceful
S he
State and the rights OF its citizens, as well as the
Union Of which 1t Is the chief member. When the
foundations, OF the old Capitol were LAID no steamer
had navigated the great river which IS our pride
and glory; now there are hundreds OF them
90 speed however, ney
Slowly s for the spirit Of the age. Then Ne had
no artificial channels OF navigation; now we have
one thousand miles OF canals, the Erie uniting the
great inland seas Of our Continent with the ocean,
Then we had no railroads; now we have thousands
Of miles OF them Skrtlng our rivers, pushing through
the valleys and around the mountain sides into the
very wilderness. Then we were without telegraphs;
now the obedient lightning carries our messages
from the capital to the humDlest OF the many vii
lagos within our borders and to the far corners OF
the world abroad. Then we had no common schools;
now nearly twelve thousand school houses are scat
tered over our State in which every year one million
OF children are taught the rudiments or good edu
cation. The children in our schools are twice as
many as were the whole people OF the state when
the old corner stone was laid.
My fellow citizens, IN the seventy years since the
building OF the Old Capitol our state has mad glo-
rious ana marvellous growth-true to Its motto Of
Excelsior"
the state or TO answer Its requirements. Movements
were set on foot Tor the erection OF new one. In
1853 the nrst Appropriation was made for the pnr,
passed the Senate directing the trustees OF the Capt.
tol and the chairman OF the Senate Committee on
Public Buildings to procure plans Tor new Capitol.
In 1855 an act was passed authorizing the erection
OF capitol on condition that the city OF Albany
should give to the State toward the purpose, the
ground commonly known as Congress Hall block.
This condition was complied with, and In 1866 the
first appropriation OF S250000 was made for the
building. The work was begun and has steadily
gone on, each year fresh appropriations being
made.
have mentioned these few facts relating to the
Old capitol and the for the sole purpose OF
making up a brief record OF history for those VINO
shall come alter US; record more useful, | think
and therefore more appropriate, tnan any display OF
rhetoric would be. l would not with too much
show OF words, break In upon the simple beauty OF
the services for which the Commissioners OF the
Capitol have arranged.
have said that almost the whole OF the past his
tory OF state has been written within the portals
OF the old Capitol Its future record Is to be made
up within the new one. Whether what Is TO be shall
be as honorable ana glorious AS what has been, will
depend not upon the ma2ncence Of the structure 10
be erected nor upon the solidlty OF the foundation
upon which 1t rests but upon the Intelligence,
energy, virtue and patriotism vi the people, whose
representatives shall In coming years assemble mere.
From foundation to dome 1t may be OF granite, nrm
as rock, and lasting the hills, vet IL VIII he built
h-.wA