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U.S. SENATE CHAMBER
WASHINGTON
Nov. 4, 1882
My dear Sir:
Your favor of the 31st ult. has
been forwarded to me from Strafford.
I think the best thing for you to do to
secure Mr. Billings as one of the Trustees
would be to have Mr. Miller of Pomfret
go and have a personal interview with
him. Mr. Miller has excellent judgment
and would manage the affair better than
it can be done by letter. That is, if he is on
good personal relations, as I presume he is.
Billings is nervous and must be approached
when he is in the right mood.

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You want for a library building some-
thing chaste and rather handsome but
not one that will cost a good deal
more that all it contains. To be fire-
proof it should be of brick, with iron
shelves. The latter will be expensive but
seems essential.
There was a volume issued here
on all the public libraries of our
country by the Department of Education,
with many plates. I will try and hunt
up a copy and send it to you.
I foresaw when "Chester" first came
how what might happen next Tuesday
and strongly urged upon him a policy
that would tend to avert it. He listened

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but gave no sign. After this or before I left
in Aug. last
I told the Prst. that he must not permit
Folger to be a candidate for Gov. I got no
decided response. I also urgently advised
Folger not to consent to any nomination,
as he was doing well here, better than he
could do in New York, if elected there,
as most likely he would not be. He then
listened to me and seemed truly averse
to leaving the Treasury. But the gratitude
of the Prst. to the chief of his clan in
New York over-came all discretion and
we are to take a deserved drubbing.
Let me assure you that my happiness
depends more upon myself -- a faithful
discharge of my own duty -- than upon

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all the world doing just right. Others
may do wrong and subject me and
many valued associates to great incon-
venience, but, if my actions bear no share
of the responsibility, I shall bear it
with such philosophy as I can muster.
Whether you should try for the trustee
services of Mr. Billings until he puts up
your Library, may be a question, though
it might be well that he should be
informed a place will be and is kept
open for him, if he can ever be pursuad-
ed to take it. When you get him, you will
find that he will want to have his own
way about some things, but still I think
he would be a valuable member.
Very truly yours
Justin S. Morrill
Prst. M.H. Buckham,
Burlington,
Vt.