Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731 of 731
was responsible for that, because for that you had to have political techniques. Shientag was never a front man. He ended up on the Court with a court appointment. That's where he is today (1952). He served a term as Chief Counsel for the Labor Department and then he served a term as Industrial Commissioner under Smith.
It's hard to say who contributed what to the reconstruction idea. Mrs. Moskowitz was the prime mover - no doubt about that. It was a very deep-seated impulse of hers to have this thing go.
I recall Smith's reaction to it. He then said, “I want to talk to more people about it.”
I said, “That's fine.”
He proceeded to canvass more people. It was Mrs. Moskowitz's idea that before he commit himself or talk to more people, he allow eight or ten people that she suggested come down and talk with him about it. He said that he was very busy and could we do it some evening. He invited us to dinner at some restaurant down near City Hall - the name is now gone. Mrs. Moskowitz and I and Ida Blair of the Woman's City Club, now dead, were the only ladies. Ida Blair was a great Democrat. The Woman's City Club had taken a great interest in the campaign and in the promise of better things to come. I don't recall who was at that meeting
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help