Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731 of 731
prejudice. It was a question of it being different, and that kind of thing.
In planning the campaigns we had to be cautious about it. We didn't shield Smith from this. We had to show him that this was the thing to do. He knew about it. He wasn't born yesterday. He know it perfectly. He talked about it. He planned the campaign and would say things like, “Better let those Protestant guys go upstate to make the speech,” by which he meant some of the rest of us who were Protestant - let them go up and make the speech upstate and not send any of the fellows with an Irish accent to make any of the campaign speeches upstate, particularly in those communities. He banked very heavily on the support of New York City and the city organization.
About that time a great many Jews in New York City were also making common cause with the Democrats. I don't know when that turn came, but it was just before the Smith campaign. You could count on the small Jewish businessman for support. They were pretty nearly sure to be pro-Smith. There was plenty of grumbling, but mostly way up state in the northern tier. This was never serious. I never heard anybody say, as they did when he ran for President, that the Pope would be right over here and that the estate had been bought in Maryland. The prejudice in New York wasn't
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help