The Omaha guide., 1935-09-21
Louisiana Negroes Say
They Will Miss Long

DdCOH rouge, La, Sept ZI-tBy
Don Davis for ANP)-A pail of
gloom bears down upon Negro eiti-
zens as a result Of the assassination
Of United States Senator Huey p.
Long. Some Negroes in the state OPP
emily disliked Senator Long, but the
large majority regard him as a bene-
factor.
Why? Readers in the liberal east
and west might reasonably ask the
question. "A visit to any Of the snail
on large centers Of Louisiana would
supply the answer.
Two weeks ago I visited several
towns where old and young persons
quizzed me about the voting situa-
ton in their cities. They wanted to
know If colored citizens Of other cen
tiers planned to go to the polls as
they hoped to do. They furtively re-
trieved their poll tax receipts from
places Of concealment with happy
smiles and / could with the cynical
eyes Of q newspaperman observe that
these people cherished the receipts
and Long who made it possible for
them to have.
That was the setting of the stage
two weeks ago, but now it's different.
The donor Of these receipts is no more
His body lies in a grave, stilled by
an assassin's bullet The setting of
the stage IS changed and those people
see no role to be played by them in
it, for the Senator Long directed the
stage in the first described act. It is
E question that time alone can an
swer whether any Of the directors
heirs inherited his fairness toward
this group.
The fact that he came from a cen
ter where the worst Of race hatred
is supposed to prevail and possessed
all Of the fairness that is said to be-
long to the Latins Of South Louisi-
ana fascinated the Negro. Long new
er in all of his stormy political ar
eer made the Negro an issue The
voice Of the Negro was raised against
him on several occasions, when he
referred to them as "niggers", but he
like VIII Rogers, good-naturedly ask
Cd their pardon. This is more than
any other politician would do, his
boosters would say.
The Learned class" resented this
act, but their numbers were small.
The dead senator was associated with
Negroes in his early boyhood and
mentioned his pleasant days with
them in his autobiography.
All of the C were not for Long.
There were those who assumed an
imaginary role in the states affairs
and from what they had heard and
earned of democracy, deplored his
methods of conversation. Long OPP
posed the anti-lynch bill, they said.
In his legislative maneuvers he made
no special effort to aid the Negro.
He had a much larger number Of
ardent supporters in u ranks, how
ever. They were well fortified with
material to defend the "Kingfish".
1t required more votes than Longs
to defeat the anti-lynch bill, they
would say. Long enacted no legis-
lation directly in the Negroes favor,
but neither did he direct any against
him. When a Long" bill was passed
for the common good of the poor
man, the Negro faced no maneuver-
ing to exclude him from receiving
the benefits Of the BILL He campaign
ed against Dudley Leblanc, Latin"
gubernatorial candidate against Gov
crnor Allen. Leblanc ran on this plat
form, "The white man shall always
have the first chance at any job in
the state"
To reinforce this respect former
Congressman DePriest okayed Long
and assured the race that they were
sure to receive some bnefits from
Longs legislative acts.
Wouldn't the Negro get his great
est political chance since the carpet
bag days in the coming election. 1t
was and Is a criminal act to these
people to oppose Long. They see no
good in their poll tax receipts now.
Had the 'Kingfish" lived, ample pro
lection at the polls was assured all,
but will his successors do this
Longs enemies were prepared TO
make the Negro an issue IN the COM
ing election and it will take a Long
type" of person to stand his ground
in face of this unfair attack. It would
have meant little to the dead solon
for he had recently warned the en-
tire Democratic party that they would
need more than the Negro issue to
win the south next year. What did
he mean by this? The anti-Long Ne
gro may also ponder the question
Did Longs ~assailant approve Of his
plans to give the Negro the ballot?
In view of the fact that several
Negroes were beaten at the polls in
Oppelousas, one may conjecture that
some couldn't stand to see Ethiopia's
children vote and sent Long to his
Nr.I