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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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that. The slaves weren't people to them, neither were they to Jefferson or to the others who were writing, although they were kindness itself to them in most cases. Jefferson and the early political philosophers wrote and spoke before commercialism in slavery had begun. Commercialism - that is, the breeding, raising and selling of slaves as a business in itself - did not arise until later and didn't arise until the commercialism of the exploitation of cotton and the cotton land began. It hadn't become so completely commercialized.

I believe that Southern Democrats are really Democrats. I point to the fact that when they had a chance to release their emotions in 1933 and '4, the Southern Democrats voted with us on all the things that were for the welfare of the people. Who voted for the Social Security Act? Who voted for the WPA? Who voted for the Civilian Conservation Corps? I remember because I had to go and explain it to them. The people I principally had to explain it to were Southern Democrats. By the rule of seniority, with the change of administration, the Southern Democrats were the ones who were the chairmen of practically every committee, because they had been in Congress for many years, whereas with the coming of Roosevelt and in the '36 election, where he brought in a lot more, there were a lot of newcomers. They didn't have seniority and didn't get to be chairmen of committees.





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