| Show WOMAN IS LEFT LOUISIANA BOSS BOSS' Copyright 1935 1193 United Press NEW ORLEANS Sept 12 A 32 A Ayoung young woman the former secretary of Senator Huey P. P Long was believed believed be be- today to hold the balance of power in the Long political ration She is Mrs Alice Allce L' L Lee Le e Grosjean Tharpe supervisor of ot public accounts accounts accounts' ac ac- counts counts' and the most powerful state officeholder Governor O. O K Ke Allen Allenn n not t excepted Out of the confusion In government government government govern govern- ment left Jelt by the death of ot the dictator dictator dic die it developed that Mrs Tharp had custody of most states state's money Handles Funds She Is handling this year 22 of public funds half halt of LouIsiana's Loul Lou Lou- l lanas revenue She bosses seven staffs of ot state collectors auditors and inspectors th that t include hundred hundred hundreds hun hun- dred of toting gun sleuths The governor may remove her from office but the thel governor is Is' re responsible responsible re- re to her for his financial accounts 3 The constitutional trees trens- and auditor of Louisiana are at ate att ather t C He her ner e disposal al She one he UC ric audits her ua own own I her ner e disposal al She one UC ric ua own own books arid no outsider may see her accounts Sh She turns part o of her money over to the state treasurer at ather her pleasure and disburses much of it as she he pleases independently of ot him Agents of ot r 1 Madame dame Supervisor watch state borders for t and gasoline bootleggers raid suspected saloons for untaxed liquor spy py on on tobacco merchants to see ee that they place tax stamps on their wares Was VI Forgotten Appointed by Governor O. O K Allen AIlen Allea Al Al- len lea at Senator Longs Long's Longs Long's c command Mrs Tharpe always remained Inthe Inthe in inthe the background and was forgotten entirely in hi the first surveys of ot conditions con con- after Longs Long's death The supervisor is unique B Before tore Long It was a minor auditIng auditing auditing audit audit- ing age agency cy operating on a a year appropriation In convert converting lag ing Louisiana into a a dictatorship Long saw faw the need of ot a new system system tem tern of ot financing The elected treasurer treasurer treas trees was bound by too many constitutional constitutional constitutional con con- restrictions In May 1932 Long sel selected ct d the thes s sup supervisors supervisor's p office as the foundation tion for his his' tax machine and he had hadE E. E A. A Conway then supervisor exchange jobs with Mrs Tharpe the secretary of ot state in whom he had implicit trust Go to Supervisor Then as the theLong Long administration began to enact new v taxes and re revise revise re- re vise old ones it turned them over overto overto to the supervisor instead of ot the treasurer In every tax bill the leg by Long estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated the proceeds and set ct aside an arbitrary part of ot them for the supervisor as expense money For collecting the occupational license tax alone alono the supervisor gets geu a a year Altogether gets gets' a year to pay for tax colle collections She spends It as she wishes There is a law providing that a a private firm audit her books But the legislature legislature legislature legis legis- lature never appropriated for such audits so o she he docs does the auditing hers herself l I She makes public statements statement o oher of her accounts but but- they reveal nothIng nothing nothing noth noth- ing to taxpayers whose burden has increased 30 per cent in the pas past year Made Secretary Mrs Tharpe joined Senator Long Longas as secretary at the age of ot 17 She Shew w was a a. high school graduate just jus out of business c college He was public service commissioner When long moved Into the state executive executive tive mansion in 1928 1923 she went along still his private secretary Two years later when Secretary of ot State J. J J J. J Bailey died Long appointed h her r to the vacancy She was the tho first woman to hold high state offie e in Louisiana For a week in 1932 after Long was elected to the senate she acted as gover governor or of ot Louisiana in the absence of ot two higher ranking ex ex- Holds Bolds R Reins ins v. v J. J n. n f J S M f tl r 0 Q f 1 f. J t i y l' lp W f p f f l 44 J C vh 4 4 J Y V Alice Leo Lee Tharpe Tharp |
