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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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been over it, as had Mrs. Moskowitz, whom I recalled to his mind as the lady who had taken him to the University Club where he'd made the speech. He knew who she was. I told him that we had worked on it and thought there was something in it.

His response was very interesting. It just showed what a first-class mind he had. This man, with a mind that hadn't been trained in a formal way, was nevertheless able to grasp these rather big ideas of political, economic and social changes in the pattern, structure and habits of the State of New York very remarkably. One of the things that made him so alert was his great experience previously on the Constitutional Convention, when they had revised the Constitution. In that period in studying the Constitution of the State of New York and drawing upon his own resources of knowledge of legislation over a number of years, he had done a very superb job. Of course he'd gotten some ideas of what were good elements of our Constitution and what were handicapping ones.

It has been said that although great parts of the Constitution failed to pass, the constitutional changes required were made during Smith's administration. I wouldn't say that Shientag was really responsible for that. Smith himself





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