Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173 [missing]174 [missing]175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342342a343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444 of 444

labor bill. I'd had it ready for some time. We had talked about something that I thought he ought to do with regard to a child labor matter earlier. Havens' words didn't come back. I was used to dealing with Elkus. I talked to him frequently about legislation. I was always wanting legislation in Albany.

Later in the day, along about noon, I got another telephone call. This was from Bob Wagner. He said, “Well, when are you coming back to New York?”

I said, “I'm coming tonight.”

He said, “Be sure and come. The Governor asked me to speak to you and to say that he wants to see you without fail tomorrow at twelve o'clock in Albany at the Executive Chamber. Can you get there?”

I said, “Yes.” I was about to say, “Elkus just called me.” Some good common political sense said, “Never tell anybody anything.” I didn't have any idea then, but some good political hunch told me, “You don't tell people other people have told you something. If the Governor has chosen three people to be a messenger, you don't ever let one of them know that the other was chosen. It's up to him to tell them that he told all three.” I stopped myself just in time from saying, “Well, Mr. Elkus already telephoned me.”

Here again Wagner was a good friend of mine on all this labor legislation. I said to him, “What does he want to see me about?”