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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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deeply suspicious of Catholics, although many Catholics had befriended and helped the Consumers' League and she had voted for Al Smith. She didn't have prejudice enough not to vote for him because he had always been right on all the legislation that had been before the Assembly that she'd endorsed. Anyhow, she was suspicious. She thought the Catholics were getting after this legislation. She's heard this underground talk about a priest here and a priest there being against it and not wanting the state to have anything to do with the children. She'd seen child labor horrors when she was a factory inspector. She couldn't bear the thought that the Catholics should stop it.

I took her in to see the Governor. She was breathing fire. I remember that clearly because I had only met her in the Governor's office and I hadn't had time to beg her to calm down. I hadn't realized that she was so full of fire, but she was full of fire. She started right in on the Governor. Instead of placating him and having an easy approach she started right in to say that she was very deeply disturbed about the failure of the Assembly to pass this child labor law. She was sure that he could make them do it. If the Governor would just put the screws on, they would pass that law. It was absolutely essential that they





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