Evening star., 1934-07-15

uleS iOr licenses LOT passenger cars
and trucks now. in Louisiana, are
among the highest in the Nation,
the minimum being SIS.
These proposed amendments re-
quired two-thirds vote in each House,
which Senator Long obtained with
apparent ease.
Reprisal Bills Passed.
Among important bills which Sen
ator Long sent through the Legisla-
ture with still greater ease, requiring
only majority votes, we're the fol-
lowing.
Depriving New Orleans of control
of her own election machinery, this
being also a reprisal bill.
Forcing reorganization of New Or
leans Police Department and taking
control away from the city govern
ment, also a reprisal measure and
one nullifying home rule.
Levying special taxes of to 6
per cent on incomes, per cent on
gross volume of newspaper advertis-
ing, 2 cents per hundred dollars on sales
of New Orleans Cotton Exchange, 2
per cent on gross receipts of public
utilities, increasing from 81 to 60 cents
per ton the tax on sulphur mined in
Louisiana. These revenue bills are
estimated to yield $4,000, 900 annually,
which is wholly additional taxation.
all efforts for relief from taxation in
this and other quarters being checked
by the King Fish. The newspaper
advertising tax is punitive. Senator
Long himself has intimated in fire.
quent outbursts against "the lying
press" which, in Louisiana, is almost
unanimously opposed to Longs poll
cieS.
State control of liquor traffic. with
issuance of permits to manufacturers,
wholesalers and retailers exclusively
vested in the State supervisor of pub
lie accounts, Alice Lee Grosiean, an
appointee of the Governor, and for
merly Huey Longs confidential Sec
retary The bill also confers on
State authorities extraordinary pow
ers of policing and enforcing the
States liquor traffic, in a manner
freely described by opponents as open
ing the door to terrorism, favorit-
the King Fish's political machine.
Hits Corporations.
Increasing corporation franchise
tax from 81 to SIPS per $1,000 of
capital stock, nearly all of which will
be paid in New Orleans, domicile of
most of the corporations operating
in the State.
Two bills that were adopted, to the
utter amazement of all Louisiana,
were described as Legislative pardon"
measures for 5l3 men now under
charges of ballot frauds in the gen.
eral election of November 8, 1882,
and for some 40 New Orleans bank
ing officials who are charged with ac-
cepting deposits knowing their insti-
tutions were insolvent in a series of
financial crashes that cost the New
Orleans public some $50 0.000,0 900. In
In the election cases, District At
torney Eugene Stanley of New Or
leans filed charges against the 5l3
election officials after investigation
which Senator Long and his con-
trolled State officials deliberately
tried to head off. Glaring miscount
of ballots, all in favor Of the Long
machine, was alleged. In trial of
the first three defendants convic-
tions resulted, and these were upheld
in appeals to the State Supreme
Court. The Legislative pardon"
voted by the Legislature, says Stan
ley, now ends prosecution of all
these cases.
Bankers Escape Penalty.
In the case of the bankers, grand
juries and the district attorneys Of
flee uncovered banking practices that
brought serious criticism, but the
Legislative pardon" measure effec-
lively heads off prosecution, accord
ing to Mr.. Stanley
LOuiSianans don't attempt to ex-
plain Senator Longs astonishing
power over the Legislature in the
face of what has been accurately de-
scribed during the last year as re-
belliouS sentiment all over the State
against further domination by the
Kingfish. But they point to some
significant facts without attempting
to draw any conclusions.
One is that back in February, March
and April, the political machine of
which the Kingfish is in fact "the
Kingfish of the lodge" began levying
tributes on all Louisiana job holders
5 TO is per cent of each months pay
on the employees of all State depart
mentS bureaus, agencies and all tax
supported institutions, such as uni
yersitieS, colleges hospitals, asylums
and the like. These monthly tributes
even reached down to affect humble
State highway employees, whose pay
was around 20 cents an hour digging
bitches or cleaning off State highways.
A fund around quarter of a million
dollars probably was raised, which was
significant in the face of a public
utterance Senator Long made in the
State capital at Baton Rouge a few
years ago: When I need legislators
buy 'em like sacks of potatoes"
Genius at Making Jobs.
Another circumstance is Longs
facility to create new jobs, with liberal
pay. Dozens of these will be open this
Summer and Fall. The forecast is
that some legislators soon will resign
to accept these jobs, present laws pre-
venting a member Of either House
from holding any other public posi-
ton. In a number of cases relatives
of lawmakers are now filling lucrative
State jobs.
Senator Long while attending the
Legislature occupied the official quar-
tiers of Gov. o. K. Allen and sum-
moned legislators for secret confer
ences day and night. frequently be-
tween midnight and am. He reached
into strongest anti-Long territory IN
Louisiana and got votes for his bills
hv what narticular means be Won