| Show Longs Long's s Vivid Personality P Brought Many Legends EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE NOTE ThIs This I if Ic the fourth of the biographical series on Jitney Huey Long Lone nr There will be two more snore art articles By H. H O. O THOMPSON Copyright 1935 by United Pr Press sS Ar Around und a vivid personality such as Huey Long Lorig there invariably grows gros gro s up an abundance of an anecdotes traditions and legends illustrative illustrative illus Ulus- of the mans man's sided many-sided qualities lucy Huey Long himself was steeped in color Some of the tales are told to emphasize emphasize emphasize em em- his coarser qualities Others Others Oth Oth- ers full fuU of ot sweetness and light arc of ot the to prize mother variety Out of these stories however one draws the ultimate conclusion that the he outstanding characteristic of the thc theman theman man man was his utter confidence in himself and his destiny A famous astrologist persuaded lint hiM to let her read his horoscope She enlarged on the possibilities of his ils If future ture in public office Oh lOh you dont don't need to tell me rae any of at that he said I 1 can take care of that myself What I want to know Imo is will I 1 ever be able to shoot a good game of ot golf Never er Gambled He like lIlee golf golt was a poor player and never gambled either on his own shots or those of anybody else eIse He played once with Walter Valter Hagen Joe Kirkwood and Seymour Weiss Ill bet you 10 I can hook around that hat tree and land on the green to the left lell of the pin Kirkwood said Go on and make the shot I dont don't want to bet anything Kirkwood Insisted knowing of his aversion for golf golt gambling All right said Huey Til PH bet you cant And LAnd Ill I'll bet Seym Seymour ur you youcan can Kirkwood made the shot and Weiss paid H He had fixed likes and dislikes fn rn the matter of food and food and he enjoyed enjoyed enjoyed en en- joyed eating He didn't eat eggs or drink coffee and his favorite breakfast was was grits and ham One morning his his' cook failed to fix the dish to his s satisfaction That aint the way to to- fix grits or fry ham ham he told her I Its It's ts t's the way I fix em em she re replied replied replied re- re plied firmly Its th the way you did fix em said Long Youre fired Cooked B Breakfast e Whereupon Long went to the kitchen and cooked his own breakfast break break- fast last H He lile liked d his steak thin and well well- done and he enjoyed cooking With Oscar of ot the Waldorf hec he he c concocted new sandwiches which the famous chef sale said were excellent He 1 made his own Roquefort cheese dressing dressing cream cream the cheese cheese- to a It paste add olive oil all lemon juice and anda I In a n l little vinegar vinegar until it becomes a al thick liquid apply paprika and salt I and po pour r on on chilled head lettuce I His 1115 greatest fondness however Was was for or as i those who recall the famous corn- corn po pone poe e dunking controversy that hati raged through the he so south th will wiil re ro- ro re-I re member Hucy Huey advocated the dunking dunking dunk dunk- ing lug system There are those who noticed in his last last- two two years of at life lite a considerable considerable considerable con con- softening in tho the manners of ot the man man He w was UI less boisterous bolster bolster- ous and blustering less Jess blatant more polished Some leaven was working to accomplish the change Perhaps it W was vias the cultured en en- in his own home Wife Wile Aided Career Although Mrs Long never stood In th the limelight with her husband her ber steadying influence ence was with him In his earlier campaign she hc worked shoulder to shoulder with him writing campaign letters in long hand filing names and doing other clerical work L Later ter she he re remained remained re- re quietly at at- home interested in her her- husbands husband's career but havIng havIng hav hay Ing lag no active no-active active part parl in it Sh She was Vas a year or so younger youn-er than Huey Hucy a woman man of ot polished m of ot ref refinement attractive and possessing possessing- a ce clear r complexion and ad a charming smile She is cour courteous ua and tho thoughtful g tf gent lenti in I t. t. t I r speech and kind to her associates I Thero are those who believe in the I contrast between Mrs Long and her husband they discovered the secret that hat Hue Hueys Huey's s 's bluff and bluster his rudeness and roughness were for parish consumption consumption a a pose He was th the o- o o world world- in lIed poli for many years year's rs' rs in iri his l later career career A Aman Aman man of ot his perceptions is generally observant He Hc could have knocked off ott the thc square corners if he wanted wanted want want- ed to The Tho Longs had three children Rose who had a year year at Newcomb college college and and who splendidly weathered weathered ered through her personality the storm of ot Long anti fever that struck the college college and and two sons Russel and Palmer Reid Long was accustomed to liquor for fOt many years His friends insisted ho had not been drinking in the thelast thelast thelast last year of oC his life that life that he went wenton on the wagon I spent some time with him recently in New Orleans and I saw no trace of liquor with him or with any of ot his associates There Thero were Instances of generosity gener gener- the the occasion when a henchman henchman henchman hench hench- man came to him with the stor story of the mother of at an opponent caught stealing flowers from th the public park parle We aint using that he said We aint fighting that way There was the occasion when a aman aman aman man lent him five live dollars way back in Oklahoma City da days s The Theman Theman Theman man turned up himself in need of money at at- Hueys Huey's door five years ago Huey financed him from front then on on All AU he be demanded of his associates was Implicit blind obedience an and l loyalty Brains were because Huey Hucy had what what- he believed w were re sufficient See that man Hes He's cost me mo a 11 million votes but if I told him to go out and burn down downa a church hed he'd come back in five minutes and say Huey she's s 's If It he had his devoted adherents Long also had implacable enemies Conservatives es regarded him l as a II ruthless usurper Some women disliked disliked dis dis- dis- dis liked him because of f his b bad d manners man man ian ners Business men men men- hated his taxes Politicians Politician hated him hIM- hIMbe because because because be be- cause he hc had beaten them Lo Louisiana citizens eith either r hated haled Huey Long Long or or loved him To Be Continued |
