Evening star., 1934-08-21
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER.

Louisiana is that there are shenani-
gans on both sides of the political
fence. With some exceptions. the
politicians of the opposing side are
cheap. ignorant hacks who could be
bought over to the dictator's side at
any time by few jobs to their sisters
and their cousins and their aunts.
Some men put themselves forth as
candidates for the Legislature and
other public ofices without the faint
est idea of serving the State, but
with the sole though of collecting the
pay of $40 a day which the Job affords
and such other money as they may be
able to pick up.
1t may sound a bit naive to suggest
that any politician should have a de-
cent motive any more. but some peo-
pie still like to believe that there are
some who consider the welfare of the
country. In Louisiana, however. 1t is
good idea to get rid of any such in
nocent notions. The government takes
the peoples taxes and it give no ac-
count of its revenues. 1t threatens big
industries with threats Of ruinous leg
islation. The government seems to
provide phoney positions for politi-
clans to support their relatives and
political helpers at good pay. Nobody
has any right TO demand an account
ing of the State funds and there is no
way of Guessing how much money has
been collected and how much Of 1t has
been stolen.
Outthinks Foes.
Der Kingf1sh. being q native Of
Louisiana and the smartest man in
the State, knows the quality of the
politicians on the opposing side. He
has demonstrated time and again that
he can out-think his opponents and
out-Nlify them in the amazingly
coarse rough-and- tumble Of the po-
litical campaigns. He calls people
fighting names, including the 1lght-
INCEST name Of all, and, instead OF
taking the matter up in the manner
which is POLITICALLY supposed to be the
tradition Of this part Of the world,
they only try to think Of dirtier names
to call him. This is impossible, how
ever, because when dirtier names are
called Huey Long will call them.
The mayor of New Orleans, T.
Semmes Walmsley, Is doubly unfor-
tunate in that he is first OF all no
leader and in addition to that dude.
Mr.. Walmsley Is q member Of the local
aristocracy. He played foot ball at
Tulane, the regional Princeton or
Harvard; he lives in q nice part Of
town and his manners are against him
In any contest with Huey Long for the
approval Of the rabble. Mr.. Walnsley
would not wipe his knife on his bread
or fan soup with his hat, but witnesses
will swear that Huey reached out,
grabbed a f1stful of boiled rice ana
stuffed It into his mouth at q public
banquet for the foot ball team Of the
State university. -
Walmsley Pathetic.
Mr.. walmsley is a pathetic figure in
this fight. He Is the mayor of q town
which has always been wide open,"
and Huey has put him in the false
position Of defending prostitution and
gambling. That isn't the case at all.
New Orleans in the matter Of prosti-
tuition and gambling is more like q
Central American banana port than
an American city.
Public opinion always has tolerated
these practices and Huey tolerated
them for years himself. In fact, he
still tolerates them in two parishes or
counties adjoining New Orleans. in
which his dictatorship Is established.
But he closed up" New Orleans as q
campaign move to put Mr.. Walmsley
in wrong and now he is proceeding to
hold a Seabury investigation which
will inquire what became OF the graft
which is always paid by prostitution
and gambling. But there is no power
in the State except the Federal grand
Jury which can inquire into the graft
received from prostitution and gam
bling in his parishes or graft exacted
from paving and building contractors
and lobbies.
He does not put his money In banks
and his political treasurer keeps no
accounts at all. He lives ike nnS
and owns q mansion, although his
present Job Of United States Senator,
at $4,000 . year, is the best he ever
held.
Might Lick Huey.
The mayor, though not unpopular,
Is simply no leader, and there is no
leader on the opposition side. There
are decent men but they do not lead.
One of them is Mason Spencer OF
Tallulah, a member Of the Legislature.
He is a planter. He is big, independ-
ent and a fighter, but too lazy or too
disguised to take command. Mr..
Spencer is a sophisticated man, q
friend of Irwin Cobb who sometimes
hunts with him, and one OF the few
men in the State who might lick Huey
II he would take the trouble.
Norman Bauer Is another. His
speeches in the Legislature were the
only intelligent remarks heard in the
recent special session. He dealt with
the issues and fought hard, but real
lied that to argue with his colleagues
against their graft was q good deal
like trying to appeal to the better ma
ture of highway robber.
George Perrault also suffers from
decency and was so unpopular on the
closing night of the special session
that he carried a gun In his clothes
and was prepared to shoot his way out
If the dictator's secret policemen, who
swarmed through the legislative halls,
made q false move.
Although Louisiana has had good
crops and the price Of cotton is up,
there are nevertheless thousands Of
utterly destitute dirt-poor In New
Orleans and the State at large who
are receiving dribbling sums Of poor
relief. These miserable doles might
be much larger If 10 were not neces-
sary to provide salaries Of from 500
to $500 a month to oficials, inspec-
tors, assistants and q miscellaneous
hodgepodge Of others who do not even
trouble to put on a pretense Of work.
ing for their money. But when Huey
adopts his low-down or common
people manner the poor forget that
they are being robbed and kept poor
by the dictator's political assistants.
and because the other side has no
leader they follow him.
Then, under the circumstances,
they might just as well follow him.
however. Theirs Is only q choice be.