Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731 of 731
I went down to see Mr. Stimson, whom I knew pretty well, and put this case to him. I'll never forget his laughter that I should come and ask him this. But he was a very conscientious man and he said yes, he would. He took the case and argued it in the Supreme Court and of course we won. I think we might have anyhow, but Henry Stimson's argument was so beautiful. It was so perfect. It was so completely understanding of all the points of law as well as of all the human points involved. The court ruled that surely a raft tied to the dock, which is acknowledged to be an extension of land, is also an extension of the land, and so are many other things. The opinion in that case is so broad that if another case, like that of the Gimbel's delivery boy ever comes up, I really believe that we could have held under their decision in the Mahti Latti case.
That was one of the most hard fought cases that I ever lived through. I had to do so much of the legal work on it myself because our own lawyers thought there wasn't a chance.
There were other cases. There was the case of the man who came in to kill me, couldn't find me and so went out and cut the throat of a nice little man who was the representative of the insurance company. He came into my office with a knife.
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help