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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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in them thar hills.” The politicians never realized that before until they came to campaign in '36. That was what they had to say to the people. There wasn't anything else to say. They discovered, of course, to their astonishment, when the vote came in that there were votes, innumerable votes, in “them thar hills.” It was just terrific.

I think that was important politically and historically, because I think that that campaign marked the turning point of American political thought and American political behavior. In the 1940 campaign, when the Republican platform was adopted in 1940, Willkie was chosen by a rebellious liberal group in the Republican party. When they came to write the platform, they had in their platform a ceiling over hours and a floor under wages, social security, only do it better for all, let us get rid of child labor, better administration of everything. They even murmured something about disability or illness insurance, or care for the sick. The platform came out in the morning paper. I went down to my office. Mr. Fitzgerald, our publicity man, walked in. He said, “Well, Madam Secretary, have you seen the morning paper, seen what the Republicans did?”

I said, “I suppose it's the same old story.”





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