Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-12-11
OLD CAPITOL AT ALBANY.

was In New York. The colonial legisla-
ture met at the New York city hall, and
the final adjournment from there was not
until April 3, 1875. During the Revolu-
ton the capital might be said to have been
in the saddle, for it followed the legisla-
tors, who moved about from one place to
another with as much sprightliness as you
would naturally expect of men whom an
active and powerful enemy was anxious to
hang. If lawmaking were attended with
such difficulties today, 1t Is probable that
politicians would be scarce, but these colo
NAL patriots stood by their posts. scurried
here and there and met in any place where
they could assemble for a few hours in
comparative safety.
When New York was first occupied by
the British, the Legislature met at White
Plains and even ventured down as far as
Harlem, but the approach of the redcoats
forced them to retreat hastily to Fishkill.
At another alarm the capital was jumped
to Kingston and later OH was temporarily
lodged at Poughkeepsie. Then it wabbled
back and forth like pea on a hot griddle,
now at Kingston, now at Albany, lodging
at the slightest provocation from one place
to the other and crossing the river with
frequency AM dispatch.
When peace came then was begun tug
of war between Albany and New York for
the possession of the capital New York
had become distinctively an English city,
while Albany was purely Dutch. A COM
promise element favored alternate sittings
in the two cities, but neither of the active
contestants would agree to this. Finally,
in 1897, the friends of Albany controlled
the assembly, but the New Workers had
the senate. 1t happened, however, that
when the bill reached the upper body some
OF the New York members were absent,
and the vote was n tie. Lieutenant Gov
ernor stephen Van Rensselaer,, whose
sympathies were, of course with the AL
bany Dutch, cast the deciding vote, and
the chagrined New Workers saw the prize
slip from their grasp, never again to be re-
covered
For some years the sessions of the legis-
lature were held in the courthouse of AL
bany county, four story structure at
Broadway and Hudson avenue, Albany.
1t was utterly unsuited to the purpose, and
finally the city gave to the state a tract of
land on the top of Pinksters hill. The old
courthouse, valued at Sl7, 500, was thrown
in a consideration for the privilege of
allowing room in the new structure for the
court offices. In 1904 work was begun on
the erection of what was then called the
new capitol building.
Unusual as it may now seem, the state
authorized the raising of Sl2, 900 for this
purpose by means of lotteries. In this
manner the money was secured, but cor
ruption soon crept into the lottery bust
ness, and soon after this law was passed
forbidding such enterprises. The corner
stone of the old structure was laid in 1906
by Mayor Philip Van Rensselaer,, and two
years later the building was occupied for
the first time. Its total cost was $40, 000
about one-hfth as much as has been ex-
pended on single entrance to the present
magnificent pile which rises on the crest
of Pinkster's hill and which has been in
the course of construction for nearly 80
years.
The old capitol building, insignificant
as it may seem when compared with the
new one, was considered in those days a
fine structure, and in 1913 Professor Sill
man of Yale wrote of it: lit is u large,
handsome building, and the furniture ex-