Previous | Next
Session: 123456789101112131415161718 Page 489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526 of 617
continuing that tradition...” he, Seymour, was calling upon them to agree that we would set up a procedure whereby if either of us did anything unfair in terms of our literature vis-a-vis the other, that we could have arbitration to make a finding as to whether in fact it had been unfair.
Well, I get that letter. I don't blame him for trying to look for a little news story. When you're in the middle of a fight, you're not exactly as sanguine as I am at the moment telling you the story. I'm pissed at the time. You know, he sends the letter so that I don't have a chance to respond until, it's printed and get into the story, but it's understandable. I figure, “Well, this calls for upsmanship.” So I write back saying, “Your offer does not go far enough. Not only must we have a system whereby we can call for arbitration, but no literature can be printed and published before the other has seen it if it mentions the other's name.”
You have to understand why I did this. I had no intention of ever mentioning his name. This is the last thing on my mind, to mention his name. I know he's going to mention my name, because that is his nature. And I know that he's going to try to compare his record to my record, and on paper his record is going to look much better than mine because he was the leading Republican officeholder from the city of New York, and all city legislation coming from a Republican mayor introduced in Albany and passed, as it would be, would be his. In fact, he was
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help