William Smith, one of the early settlers of Watertown, and one of its soundest, most intelligent and most useful citizens, died Nov. 24, 1858, at the age of 82. He was the father of George Smith, treasurer of the Jefferson County Savings bank, and was born in New Haven, Conn.

The republican state convention in 1858 nominated E. D. Morgan for governor, and Robert Campbell of Steuben county for lieutenant governor. Mr. Morgan had been a well-known whig in New York previous to the organization of the republican party, had served two terms in the state senate and one in the national house of representatives, and Mr. Campbell had been a leading democrat in the southern tier of counties, occupying about the same position there as did Preston King in northern New York.

The platform embodied the accepted doctrines of the republican party; also a resolution taking strong ground in favor of a registry law.

Charles B. Hoard was re-elected to congress from this district, Francis E. Spinner from the St. Lawrence-Herkimer district, and M. Lindley Lee was elected in the Oswego Madison district. Roscoe Conkling was chosen to the house of representatives for the first time from Oneida county. Charles H. Van Wyck, the present U. S. senator from Nebraska, went into the house from Orange county. E. G. Spaulding was there from Buffalo, R. E. Fenton from Chautauqua, Edwin R. Reynolds, who set type with Horace Greeley over in Poultney, Vt., when both were boys, was there from the Orleans district, Charles B. Sedgwick was there from Onondaga county, Abram B. Olin was there from the Rensselaer district, likewise John and Clark B. Cochrane, with others I might name, rendering the delegation from New York in the thirty-sixth congress one of uncommon ability.

To the assembly, Jefferson county in 1858 elected Russell Weaver, Patrick S. Stewart and Furman Fish. St. Lawrence elected Harlow Godard, William Briggs and Oscar F. Shepard; Oswego, DeWitt C. Littlejohn, James J. Coit and Beman Brockway; Lewis, Lyman R. Lyon. In the same year, Russel B. Biddlecom was chosen county clerk of Jefferson county, and James A. Bell one of the coroners.

And this is how I came to go to the legislature: In the latter part of September 1858, Colonel S. M. Tucker, a republican politician in Oswego county, called on me, and surprised me by the statement that it was proposed by himself and friends to nominate me for the assembly. I replied that that was a matter for himself and friends to settle; that should I be nominated and elected I knew of no good reason why I could not serve; and that I should leave the business entirely in his hands. It turned out that there was a general sentiment in favor of mak ing me the nominee, so I was designated and chosen by the usual majority, 900 or 1,000.

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CHAPTER XXXVII.

The Legislature of 1859-Some of the Men in It-Speaker Littlejohn— Strife for Position on the Committees.

The legislature of 1859 was overwhelmingly republican. The senate stood 20 republicans and Americans to 12 democrats; the assembly 99 republicans and knownothings to 29 democrats. The know-nothings at this time had ceased to be of any special account, and the few in the legislature generally acted with the republicans. I judge the legislature of that year was exceptionably able. There were in the senate such men as William A. Wheeler, afterwards vice-president of the United States; Samuel Sloan, then president of the Hudson River railroad, now president of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; Richard Schell, a distinguished financier and politician in New York; Alexander S. Diven, a leading lawyer and railroad man in Elmira; E. S. Prosser, one of Buffalo's soundest business men; Lyman Truman, a banker and lumberman of Owego; James Noxon, afterwards justice of the supreme court in this district; A. H. Laflin, who subsequently represented the JeffersonHerkimer district several terms in congress: Dr. Benjamin Brandreth, the manufacturer of Brandreth's pills, which cured almost every disease with which humanity was afflicted thirty or forty years ago; John C. Mather, ex-canal commissioner, who spent the latter years of his life in Watertown, and died here; Frank Spinola, the well-known New York politician, who had an equal liking for democracy and whisky.

In the assembly there were several gentlemen who have achieved considerable reputation. Among them I recall

the names of General H. W. Slocum, who represented the second district of Onondaga county; Burt Van Horn, afterwards representative in congress from Niagara county; Charles S. Spencer, a leading republican politician in New York; Frederick A. Conkling, brother of Roscoe, then a republican, but now a democrat, of New York; John W. Chanler, afterwards a congressman from New York; George Opdyke, the well-known financier, and afterwards mayor of New York; George S. Batcheller, who has been a judge in Egypt for many years, and was a few years ago returned to the assembly, after an interval of twenty-seven years; he has since been an assistant secretary of the treasury; Samuel L. Fuller, a leading banker in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Thomas Coleman, a level-headed banker of Troy; James Mackin, then a republican, but later a democrat and state treasurer; Dewitt C. Littlejohn of Oswego, who was chosen speaker that year for the third time; Daniel Morris, who afterwards went to congress from the Yates district; and many others I might name if my list were not already sufficiently extended.

I gave myself no trouble as to the arrangement of the assembly committees. The speaker knew me, as I did him, and I left him at liberty to assign me such position as he should consider me fitted for, or to leave me off from any committee if he cared to. And here I desire to say that I cannot understand why it is that persons chosen to the legislature go into spasms over the question of what committee they shall be on, or the place they shall have upon it. The truth is, if a man has any ability or qualifications for a seat in a legislative body, the fact will crop out sooner or later, and he is pretty sure to have all the influence to which he is entitled. Men find their level there as they do in the neighborhood in which they reside. Sound, level-headed men are pretty certain to have followers. There will be those

who respect their judgment and will be inclined to heed their counsel and act with them. This is my observation. It appears to me, therefore, that only small men will worry as to what disposition shall be made of them by the speaker. Men like William H. Seward, J. A. Garfield and Roscoe Conkling would be apt to make them. selves felt in a legislative assembly, even though the presiding officer were to ignore them altogether. I have known men to be placed at the head of committees who had no influence with their associates, and little elsewhere. In such cases a mistake is perpetrated both by the appointing power and by the person accepting the position tendered. When a man takes a place for which he has no qualifications he makes a sad blunder. He exposes his lack of capacity, and does little credit to himself or the position he occupies. It is a weak specimen of humanity that does not know that position never raised one in the estimation of his fellow-men. Some persons confer dignity and honor on the stations in which they may be placed; but rarely has any position, however elevated, added to the intellectual stature of a weak man.

The experience acquired during that winter was valuable. I appreciate the difficulties and embarrassments under which the well-intentioned legislator labors. He cannot always have things as he would. There is too much contrariety of opinion, too many conflicting interests. With Romans you will have to do as Romans do, or be set down as an off-ox or a crank. There are 128

men in the state assembly, every one of whom has his peculiarities and caprices. These are to be respected; at least, it is not safe to ignore them. One must do the best he can in view of his surroundings. Considering the heterogeneous materials of which most legislatures are composed, it is really a marvel that so little mischief is done.