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Washington field. Smith was all set to make a brilliant Governor for his first term.

When Smith was running for the presidency of the Board of Aldermen, he sent for me to come down and talk about what the basis of his campaign should be. He had been a good Assemblyman. As Assemblyman I had become very well acquainted with him. He had been the minority and then the majority leader. He was a well-established Assemblyman. He had had a good record. He had served as a member of the Factory Investigating Commission. He had introduced the legislation, sponsored the legislation and backed it which was very progressive social legislation. He had voted for the 54 Hour Bill for women. He had voted widows' pensions. He had voted for the modern type of social legislation which was just barely beginning, just in its infancy, the first steps being laid.

He had never before that, and neither had anybody in Tammany Hall, thought much about these matters as having any political significance. Then he began thinking of himself as a candidate for president of the Board of Aldermen. The Tammany Hall people had let him out to make some money. They said, “Well, Al has to have a chance to make some money.” He had been Sheriff, but he hadn't been in the Assembly or dealing with state government for a couple of years. Then it was rumored that he was going to be candidate for president