Evening star., 1940-03-03

NEW ORLEANS.-Sam Jones gets the
governorship of Louisiana, but he must
share with Uncle Sam and free and
laundering press the credit for smash
ing the United States first dictatorship.
The trinity for reform, actually, was
paced all the way by the press. The up
roofing of the firmly entrenched, SEEM
ingly invincible Huey p Long dynasty
will stand as one Of the outstanding
journalistic achievements in decades.
Using only publicity and other instru-
ments Of democracy, the loosely knit op-
position forces finally broke the back of
the 12-year-old Long machine and now
are planning to finish the job"
Gov. Earl K. Long, defeated standard
bearer of the regime and brother of the
slain Huey, recognized the press as his
chief enemy throughout the long, bitter
campaign that gave Mr.. Jones the gov
ernorship. On the stump he devoted
more time to denunciation of what he
always called "the lynn newspapers"
than he did to Mr.. Jones.
In his first public pronouncement after
his defeat he said, II don't owe the news-
papers - damned thing"
No one could call that an overstate-
ment.
Active Press Campaign.
The newspapers didn't stop at an edi-
torial crusade. Their persistent and
thorough Investigations turned up many
of the tips leading to subsequent grand
jury indictments, Federal trials and con-
victions.
The battle ended with practically all
the metropolitan papers in the State and
numerous smaller dailies supporting Mr..
Jones and scourging the machine for
graft and cynical corruption.
Louisianas latest successful struggle for
reform really dates from May 20, 1899,
when Frank Murphy, then Attorney
General, stopped off here.
Primarily the problem of clean gov
ernment should be one for local govern
ments, city and State, to attack he said
in measured tones But if they do not,
there are conditions that give the United
States Government an opportunity to
step into the fight
I'VE have mapped our plans for this
national campaign. The purge is on.
My department. is now at the start of a
ma tional campaign to clean up~th6 pres
ent situation in America. EpisodeS like
the conviction of Boss PendergastF in
Kansas City, and Judge Manton in New
York are nothing but isolated battles.
There will be others.
sdr. Murphy's choice of New Orleans
Tor such a fortnight statement was
immediateay seized upon by local news
papers rs highly significant. He spoke
from hotel partially owned by powerful
Seymour Weiss. Gov. Richard w. Leche
was in the room. The next day DR..
James Monroe Smith, then president of
Louisiana State University gave Mr..
Murphy an honorary degree
Today DR.. Smith is in the State Peni-
tentiary, Weiss has been sentenced to
Federal prison and Leche faces numer-
GUS Federal indictments. his guberna-
torial career ended in disaster.
Truck Brings Clue.
Less than two weeks after it pub
ushed Mr.. Murphy's pronouncement the
New Orleans States got the break for
which it had long waited. A reporter
and photographer brought in evidence
that a university truck was hauling
building supplies to New Orleans for use
in the home of Col. James McLachlan,
friend of Gov. Leche.
The tip came from State Senator
James A. Noe, former Huey Long lieu
tenant with Leche, Weiss, Smith and
others, but since Mr.. Longs death a bit
ter foe of the machine and determined
to destroy it.
The States story, printed June 9, set
In motion the smashing of the machine,
but 1t took combination of forces, far
and near, over period of months to
complete the work
The machine might have brazened out
this comparatively mild expose except
that DR.. Smith had taken q flyer in
wheat some time before, betting on war
and booming prices. But Hitler wasn't
quite ready for his Blitzkrieg on Poland
and prices sagged
Even though they didn't know of
Smiths personal activities, the States