Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654 of 654

had fascinated him. He used to say, “A Governor has to follow a new idea sometimes. Look at DeWitt Clinton. What would have become of New York if we hadn't had the big ditch?” It was one of the great new projects that had made New York a modern area before other parts of the country got there. He knew all about that.

I think it was during his administration that there was the beginning of the repairs and revitalization of the Erie Canal. He was very much interested in it. It all had to be measured not romantically as an historical episode, but with regard to what it would be economically for the State of New York. To this day I never come along on the New York Central Railroad along it without looking at the canal with great care, because I know what the problems are. I know that it silts up. I know how much it costs to keep it open. I know how many grain barges and coal barges they can carry along that. I know the difference between the freight rates coming that way and the freight rates coming by rail. That was all part of his discussion.

Anyway, he loved New York. He loved its “rocks and rills, its woods and templed hills,” as well as its people. He sort of understood the peculiarities of these people and how they settled in different groups. One of Al's great friends was Pierrepont Noyes of the Oneida Community. It was one of the first semi-communist operations at a