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Altgeld's protest. The excuse there was that they were interfering with tho mails. There is no such thing here. Only the convenience of the householders and business of San Francisco is interfered with. I cannot tell you how serious it could be, not only politically, but morally and for the basic labor-industry relationships, and labor-government relationships in this country, if we were to do a thing of that sort.”

Well, they thought it would have to be done - “This is too serious to fool with.”

I said, “What's more, the President is out of the country. Just imagins the reaction if this action is taken by this Cabinet then he's out of the country. Imagine the bedlam and trouble he'll be in.” Then I said, playing the only card I could think of, “I think I will have to make a matter of record that I demand, I insist, that you send a message to the President by naval communication telling him what you propose to do, and get an answer from him authorizing it. I think that is the least we can do.” I didn't say that I would do if they didn't do that, but I had in my mind that I would telephone around and get the other Cabinet members together. It seemed a dreadful thing for them to do, and so impractical - just as impractical as it could be, because it would