IMPORTANT EDUCATIONAL AND POLITICAL MEASURES OF THE NEW LEGISLATURE In addition to the election of three United States Senators this Legislature had some very important work before it, as has already been stated in a previous chapter.

A new public school system had to be inaugurated and put in operation, thus necessitating the construction of schoolhouses throughout the State, some of them, especially in the towns and villages, to be quite large and of course expensive.

All of the other public buildings and institutions in the State had to be repaired, some of them rebuilt, all of them having been neglected and some of them destroyed during the progress of the late War.

In addition to this the entire State Government in all of its branches had to be reconstructed and so organized as to place the same in perfect harmony with the new order of things.
To accomplish these things money was required.

There was none in the treasury.