MOURNERS p PAY AY RESPECTS TO SENATOR SENA TOR LONG L NG J E w ii i iM w- w Sp ft lS ft ll j.- j. ki w 5 mi A m dr I J A Throngs waiting on thc of the Louisiana state capitol at Baton Rouge to pay their last respects to the assassinated Huey P. P Long Long Knew P Poverty verty Pangs angs In Early Days of Career Editors Editor's n note This note This is the second of a series of biographical sketches of Huey P. P Long 0 f By H. H O. O THOMPSON v Copyright 1935 by United Press I- I An oil operator once said to Huey Long 5 Guys like you can go where a wise guy could nv v r Frea rea h h. h Behind that statement lies the entire history of H a Long a history that began in a log cabin and carried him at g of 41 to the dictatorship ul of A f the st state t of cf Louisiana 1 n ul A He was born in Winn Vinn parish a seventh child He worked with his hands In the fields He knew the pangs of ot poverty But h he had edu- edu advantages not available ble to other and more famous men whose careers began in log cabins At 17 Long L mg ran his first political camp campaign in support of at a candidate candidate candidate candi candi- date for parish tick inspector and was defeated He left home to be become become become be- be come an itinerant salesman He went into the cottages of ot neighbors and won their orders and their at at- through his pushing person person- With his Index card-Index mind he ticketed the people marked down their grievances their wants ants their desires their attitudes es toward life Ufe and toward politics J I R Raises Eases es Tuition He scraped together the small tuition tuition tuition tui tui- tui- tui tion required for a law course at Tulane university He finished the three years of ot work in one and was supporting a bride Rose McConnell McConnell McConnell McCon- McCon nell a young oung woman woman who had won wona a baking contest sponsored by him himon on one of his selling trips At 21 he dogged the state examIners examiners examiners exam exam- iners until they called a R special meeting to test him for lor entrance to the bar He Hc had to practice law he told them so he could support the girl he had married two years before He passed the examination The World war came was I 1 I V 24 Married he was pl placed ced in n the fourth fouth class for tor draft purposes Because Because Be Be- cause of some legal w work rk he was doing for the state his class was changed to the fifth firth His dislike of soldiering was inherent in in- herent which herent-which which made the military show v that at times accompanied him on his rounds the more mor It was contradictory to his nature At 24 21 Long decided to run for forthe forthe forthe the office of ot railroad commissioner His foundation for the campaign was a long mailing g lis list compiled during his tours of ot the state as a aso so soap p or baking powder salesman and his knowledge of ot what the people people peo peo- pie wanted It was during this campaign campaign cam cam- am- am that he began that close lose association association asso- asso asso asso- elation with Oscar Allen which brought O 0 K from the position of o parish tax assessor assessor to governor govern r ro o of the state Huey was broke when he met Allen Allen Alleri lent Him h to continue the campaign and won his victory Evening Calls One of ot his methods was to ride to a farmhouse at night In the darkness he would pound on on the front door An irritated voice would call out out th there re 1 Its Hu Huey Huy y Long the answer I 1 wanted t to talk politics politics poli poll tics to you and about what w we can cando cando cando do to get some of the the money oney back into Into the the hands of ot the poor people I Strangely enough his night visits were popular The farmers farmer went back back- to bed thinking over the message message mes mes- sage that came from the darkness They felt important to to have been singled out bya by a candidate for office Huey won by votes His method of attack was simple He fought with pipe pipelIne line companies the Standard Oil the telephone am and companies In the fight absorbing fac facts and figures like a blotter he he- became overnight a rate and expert His next r race ce was for tor governor in 1924 The farmers were on his side but on the night before bet re election elec dec tion a drenching rain turned the roads road into quagmires and isolated tho the farmers Long was defeated But in 1928 1923 he won won He fulfilled his first ambition and became governor governor governor gov gov- at the age of ot 35 Two years later he became United States sena sen zen a ator The interval of two years brought him to national attention It was an era of ot turmoil The Tho fights he waged wage d were spectacular sensational attention provoking By the the thes time Ume he was senator th there re were no negative nega nega- tive tivo feelings about Long in Lou Lou- He was either fanatically worshiped or fanatically h hated ted There were factions in the state the Long faction and th the Long anti antl faction And Huey controlled controlled controlled con con- trolled the state machinery Only New Orleans seat of ot the regulars regulars regu lars held out against him Those two years also made a 8 change in his app appearance Ho He went into the governors governor's office a gangling figure with J poorly fitting run over heels and a w wrist 1st watch I almost large enough to be he an an alar alarm clock Then he began to wear expensive expensive ex ex- I pensive clothes gaudy clothes gaudy sometimes but splendidly fitting He polished I himself himsel for his better public al although although although al- al though he never ne lost the knack of ot II rumpling himself up to suit the tastes of his supporters who hated the tho suggestion of ot refinement He Be Hew w was always the poser posen To be continued