- March 18, 1931 – JSA to Ellwood Rabenold
My dear Mr. Rabenold:
After our talk over the long distance this morning, I conversed with Mr. Rosenman, informing him in detail the situation to date, including my visit with Mr. Morganthau, and also my apprehensions, and asked if he could suggest anything further that I might do. He concluded finally that he did not know of anything.
Shortly afterwards I received a card from our old friend, George Foster Peabody, announcing that he had recovered from a fourteen weeks illness sufficiently to take limited interest in a few things, and I am to dine with him tonight. I dislike to ask him to take any action, but he has a great understanding of such matters and his guardians may allow him to take some action that might awaken the Governor to the impending embarrassment that it sure to follow on the fight over the Hewitt Tree-Cutting Amendment.
I received several reports that the bill, Assembly 16, was passed Monday night, again yesterday and again this morning. The Albany Legislative Index Company, however, assures me over the ‘phone that, after investigation, they find it was being referred, like all other bills, to the Committee on Rules.
Your willingness to act on my judgment regarding a possible conference on Friday again fills me with much thought and appreciation of that quality which always inspires me to go on and on regardless of discouraging incidents, and I can only repeat that we should exhaust every possible chance of avoiding the state wide fight that can be exercised without sacrificing the basic principles for which we are fighting. This you know without my writing it and you yourself have stated it to me several times.
During my talk with Mr. Peabody tonight I might think of something more concrete to communicate with you and if so, I will immediately get you on the ‘phone. In the meantime, if you do not hear from me and you have some plan you want to carry out, rest assured I am with you as far as you want to go.
Sincerely yours,
JSApperson