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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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Part:         Session:         Page of 912

Interviewer:

I wrote in my book that the word “Lewis” was said through clenched teeth in Cabinet meetings.

Perkins:

Well, I think it really was. There were very few men of the world around at that moment. I confess to being one of those who just said, “It's the nature of the situation.” I didn't say so publicly, because I saw they were all inflamed, and when people are inflamed, you say nothing, you see. But I mean, I recognized you were dealing with a fact, and Lewis's disposition and nature and ideas and ambitions were part of the fact, and you just had to accept them. I couldn't get inflamed against him, or him, either one.

Interviewer:

You held to one consistent line, and that was, “Don't send the Army into the mines,” because they can't mine coal.”

Perkins:

Yes. Yes, and because the United Mine Workers will behave much worse. All they've done now is say they won't work. They've kept their maintenance crews in the mines the way they always do. You know, there was a maintenance crew in every mine, keeping the mine pumped out. No matter how bitter the strike, they always do that, you know. It's standard practice. And they have a fire-fighting crew always at hand, on call. The superintendent could call them at any minute to go in and fight fire, if something breaks out in the wine during a strike.





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