Home
Search transcripts:    Advanced Search
Notable New     Yorkers
Select     Notable New Yorker

Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
Photo Gallery
Transcript

Part:         Session:         Page of 731

recommending Al Smith as President of the United States as I had made innumerable times in the State of New York in upstate and other com unities recommending Al Smith for reelection as Governor. I found it worked. This is what I knew about him. These were the parts of his political program and activity that I had seen, and was a good and competent judge of. I discovered that the people were concerned by this. So wherever I went, except in these places where the religious problem was the only problem, and that a problem among Democrats, it was these things that I put forth.

As a matter of fact, although Al Smith didn't poll too impressive a vote, if you could have analyzed it, and I think it was analyzed, we polled a very impressive independent vote. That I think was really a response not only to his social program, but to the effectiveness of what he had already done in the line that he was promising to do more. In other words, he had made it not a poor man's dream. He had made it a practical man's reality. It had occurred. You could look and see it. “This is what they do. This is what they have. The industries have not left the State of New York, although they threatened to when the legislation started to go through. The number of persons regularly employed in manufacturing in the State of New York has increased.” I forget what that percentage is now, but in those days I





© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help