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“I learned a great deal. I knew I was just taking them off Wilson's hands, but the important thing was to take them off his hands and to keep them off his hands so that they wouldn't bother him. That meant that I had to give attention to what they thought they had as a complaint, or as a suggestion, or as a problem. I had to pay attention to their problem very intimately, listen to it, try to straighten it out, promise to do something about it if it was only sometimes to intervene with the man that was making them trouble in the State Committee. If it was a question of political appointments, I had to promise to see that the President heard about it. I had to write out very carefully what the advantages of this man or that man were. Frequently I had to think up the answers as to why it couldn't be done, or if there wasn't any reason why it couldn't be done, I had to promise that it would be given consideration, but make sure I didn't promise that they would be appointed. I had to think to remember to follow up on them and tell him that we were giving it consideration, so that he'd know that I hadn't just brushed it off. I learned a great deal about politicians and what makes them tick from those conversations.

“I realized that often they just won't insist. They aren't mean, bitter creatures. They won't insist upon patronage, provided they think they're getting attention.