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That went down big with Tammany. Whether it was a political idea or not, I don't know. I was frightened and I think a good many of the other people close to him were frightened and a good many lawyers were frightened. They said, “Franklin Roosevelt just isn't smart enough to do that. He thinks he is and it sounds fine, but, after all, he's not as smart as Jimmy Walker. Jimmy Walker's got awfully good lawyers that would help him and he's very smart.”
Martin Conboy was Jimmy Walker's counsel. They all said, “Jimmy will be up here with plenty of good counsel and he'll have smart lawyers. Franklin Roosevelt isn't up to coping with them.”
I remember saying, “Who is Jimmy's counsel?” When the answer came back, “Martin Conboy,” I sat down and laughed. I said, “Well, certainly Roosevelt has nothing to fear if it's Conboy.” He was the dumbest person. I'd known him for years. He was dumb at every level. Martin Conboy tried to oppose, in a kind of subterranean way, the original laws that were based on the Factory Investigating Commission's report. He allowed himself to be counsel for the real estate opposition to this legislation. He cooperated with George Olvaney, sneaking around behind doors and trying to get things done.
However, Conboy was a handsome man - tall, well-built, round-faced, dark-eyed, Irishman, who was very good looking
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