Governor
Roosevelt Cordially Greeted
By
Large and Enthusiastic Assemblage
Tells
Throng That He Finds Schools, Hospitals and
Prisons
Antiquated and in Need of Modern Equipment
State
Normal School Visited and Assurances
Given
of New Building
An enthusiastic and cordial crowd greeted Governor
Franklin D. Roosevelt in front of the Oneonta Hotel yesterday morning
shortly before 10 o'clock, when after spending the night at the
O-te-sa-ga hotel in Cooperstown, and following a hurried trip here,
he had paid a visit to the State Normal building and conferred with
Principal Bugbee relative to the new building and its need and then
hastened to the hotel to greet the large gathering there assembled.
The police arrangements were complete and the street for some
distance was filled with citizens and visitors who had assembled to
greet the state's executive. His appearance was greeted with cheers.
Hon. Chester A. Miller, who with a core of other
citizens had gone to Cooperstown and accompanied him on the trip
here, presented him to the throng. Mr. Miller spoke briefly,
referring to his experience in the legislature with the governor,
when the latter was an assemblyman, and at times opposed the
proposals of Tammany. Mr. Miller also recommended the governor for
his support of the new building for the training school at the State
Normal.
Governor Roosevelt made some pleasant remarks
relative to the enterprise of Oneonta and the beautiful scenery along
the route from Albany to Cooperstown and thence here, and then said
that he is making these trips about the state to ascertain the
buildings and the equipment in the state institutions and their
needs. We find much of the equipment out of date and the buildings
inadequate. We find our prisons, some of them built back in 1830,
only allowed a space 6 ½ by 6 ½ by3 ½ feet for a prisoner, while
now we have come to realize that these same prisoners, or at least 94
percent of them, are coming back into our communities to live and it
is far more creditable to treat them as human beings and endeavor to
build them up physically and morally and must supply good air and
food and wholesome conditions.
Equipment in our educational institutions is also
much of it antiquated. Formerly all the teacher was required to
possess was a knowledge of the three R's, with a few frills added.
Now we desire the teachers in our schools to possess knowledge of
many things and be able to give instruction in home making, arts, and
mechanics, and much equipment is required. We desire to fit our boys
and girls to take up life's activities in these modern days and we
must turn out well equipped teachers.
I had a a very pleasant talk with Dr. Bugbee a few
minutes ago about the needs of your Normal school and I was pleased
when I found the need of the institution, that we had been able last
winter to include $85,000 for the foundations of the new building in
the appropriations which means that the $400,000 needed will be made
another year for the building.
At first it did not seem possible to include the
$85,000. One Normal school at Plattsburg had burned down and a
second, that at Potsdam, was falling down and had to rebuild them.
However, when my friend, Chester Miller, came to Albany and told me
of the high standing of Oneonta Normal graduates and the excellent
work the school is doing and its graduates also, I said we must at
least give them the foundations this year, and this was done. We
realized that the new building is needed and the state wishes to help
the school continue its good work.
In closing Governor Roosevelt thanked the gathering
for the cordial reception accorded and expressed a determination that
it should not be ten years before his next visit here. He left at
once for Oxford to visit the
W. R. C. home there, and later went to Delhi to address
the Farm Bureau picnic of Delaware county.
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