Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731 of 731
teachers. Most of the adult members before the war had been sent North to school. They all taught in those free schools.
It's difficult to compare a Northern and a Southern politician such as Al Smith and Pat Harrison, for instance. Pat Harrison had had no such experience as Al Smith had had. Al Smith had grown up in the midst of a great city in a great industrial state. Pat Harrison had grown up in a rural community. He had never seen either the progress or the suffering that can go with a big city. He nevertheless remained a humanitarian, although his ideas of what to do would have been almost nil, because nothing of the sort had ever been heard of in Mississippi. You thought in terms of people living on little farms and big farms, of transportation along the river, and such. It was entirely different.
I don't suppose he realized how much the country had become industrialized. They longed for a little industrialization in the South. That's one of the great gifts that Roosevelt gave them - industrialization in the South and the concept of a reformed agriculture that wouldn't exhaust the land. One of the greatest things that's happened as a result of the Roosevelt intervention in their economy is the green crops and dairy cattle which you see all over the South. It just could not have been. It wasn't possible. The land is gradually being replaced. At least what they've got is being
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help