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ought to be on good terms with, and the Governor ought to be on good terms with.
We had in Albany, during those years of Al Smith's term and Roosevelt's term, particularly in Al Smith's term, a very competent opposition. It's the kind of opposition that is needed at the federal level. It was a loyal opposition, all right. I don't know what it was like in the earlier years in Washington, but from the very outset of the Roosevelt administration it should have been a contributing, competent opposition. We always had it in Albany and it was a very great help to us, because of the fact that the Democrats could propose in terms that were perhaps a little extreme, but which nevertheless made it clear to the people what was intended, and the opposition could put the reins on and pull back - not enough to stop it, but enough to slow it down or pare off the extreme edges. So it made the progress a little slower, but steady. It made it more acceptable. We had a good opposition most of the time.
On this occasion the Smiths were around. Al was around shaking hands with everybody. There I realized also something which sometime later Mrs. Roosevelt once mentioned to me just in passing, but I realized it that day. I realized that the Smiths had not quite moved out. They had not quite said
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