Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731 of 731
in 1918 he began laying down the stones that we now recognize as foundations of the New Deal, particularly with respect to labor and welfare matters. There was the constant extension of the workmen's compensation act. That was all going on and was part of Smith's policy. There was a constant improvement in the details of it. He stood by and was insistent on large appropriations for the Department of Labor for enforcement of workmen's compensation. That had been something which in earlier administrations they never got. Even if they got a law, they never got any money to set up enough inspectors, enough underwriters and enough examiners to enforce it adequately.
I can't separate in my memory what was accomplished in the Smith regime in this field and in the Roosevelt regime. They are not separable in the labor field, or, so far as I know, in any other field. Actually one ran into the other. I know that certain crises arose in '28 or '29, but so far as policies are concerned I should say that it was a continuation. When I talked with Roosevelt when he asked me to be Industrial Commissioner after he became Governor, I said to him, “I want to tell you what has been the policy under Smith, what he has stood by, what he was willing to have done, what is planned and what I think ought to be
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help