April 7. Journal sorely neglected of late, but I have been working night after night well into the small hours. The Senate passed Brookss second substitute (not the Hawks plan) 19 to 12, at two this morning. Very bad. I hoped we should escape a vote against us by indefinite postponement, but Thurlow Weed is omnipotent. I cant see how we can prevent his forcing the bill straight through the legislature. However, Mr. Ruggles in his letter of yesterday predicted it could not get through the legislature.
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas
Doing what, I wonder. Perhaps writing letters to lobbyists and legislators and editors, writing pamphlets, that kind of thing. So much more labor-intensive than Tweeting.
Samuel Ruggles was a prominent New Yorker and Strong’s father-in-law. Weed was known as “Boss” Weed and was extremely influential in Albany. The fissures are interesting because they were all nominally on the same side - former Whigs who became Republicans.
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas