Home
Search transcripts:    Advanced Search
Notable New     Yorkers
Select     Notable New Yorker

Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
Photo Gallery
Transcript

Part:         Session:         Page of 564

employer. He came over to see me, making a courtesy call, I suppose. I remember saying, “Mr. Harriman, what about this Black Bill?”

He said, “I feel very disturbed about that, because I think it has some standing and I think maybe some people will think it's good. I think it's very unfortunate and very foolish. I don't like to testify against it, because, after all, I'm the president of the Chamber of Commerce. I don't want anybody saying that the Chamber of Commerce is opposed to anything that will make work for the unemployed, but I can't see it. I wish you'd talk to the President about it.”

So I went over it with him. Then I said, “I'll talk to the President. If I talk to the President and he agrees that we ought to try to stop it, will you help me? You know your way around the Capitol better then I do.”

So I talked to the President and described it to him, saying, “What do you think of this? Do you want it?”

He said, “What do you think?”

I said, “I think it's crazy. I think it's absurd. You know that I believe in the regulation of hours, but I don't think you should regulate them the same for every industry, nor do I think you should make it rigid. I think any legislation that attempts to reduce the hours has got





© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help