The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-03-18


First there was the repeal OF
the $4,000 salary limit which
benefited the grand total Of g..
500 people In the entire nation,
In contrast TO the millions OF
wives and mothers getting about
$50 o month from men OF the
front. Second came COP whoopla
over the RUM plan which would
also be q windfali TO O handful
Of war wealthy,
Now comes the most interesting
test OF oil the lineup Of Re.
publican senators behind the old
Huey Long gang TO secure APP
pointment OF o Huey Long Judge
TO the 9th Circuit Court OF APP
peals In louisiana, merely for the
satisfaction Of embarrassing
Roosevelt,
In the old day, when Huey
was staging fllibusterS and hurl-
Ing jcers NJ dlgnlfled COP SEN
at0rS, they kept their noses In
the air and stalked out Of the
Senate chamber with heller.
thou written all over their
faces. But now they have swal.
lowed their pride and gangcd up
with the remnants Of Huey
LOngism -- all for the pleasure
Of embarrassing FDR.
The Judge Roosevelt refused TO
appoint - and whom the COP
now inferentially supports - Is
Auey's old friend, Archie Hig-
gins, who recently voted against
barring Ex-Governor Dick Leche
from the practice Of law, Leche,
another Huey Long satellite, Is
serving ten years In jail. But
when his disbarment case came
before the Supreme Court OF
Louisiana, Judge Higgins remained
loyal to the memory Of Huey and
dissented from disbarring the I'm
prisoned governor.
HIGGINS HELPS HUEY
While the Kingfish was still
alive, Judge Higgins was even
more loyal. IN almost every case
Jming before the Louisiana Su-
)reme Court where one Of Huey's
policies was involved, Higgins
vent down the line.
In 1884, for instance, Huey's
candidate for election TO the
supreme Court was Justice
Winston OvertOn, whose brother,
senator OvertOn, Is now so
busy persuading Republican SEN
atOrs 10 vote against Roosevelt
In the current judicial battle.
Winston OvertOn was opposed by
Judge Thomas +. Porter, anti
Huey Long man. But two days
before the primary, Winston
OvertOn died.
This left Judge Porter as the
sole candidate, and he got the
Democratic nomination. which IN
Louisiana Is tantamount to cleo
ton. But Huey Longs machine
refused to accept his nomination
and called for a second primary
on October o. Whereupon Judge
Porter secured an injunction from
a lower court preventing Huey's
Secretary Of State from putting
any other candidates name on the
ballot.
But the Long crowd appealed
to the Supreme Court. where their
friend Judge Higgins agreed to
hear the case. But very con.
veniently he placed the date OF
hearing on November 20, whereas
the primary was to be held October
0. Thus. Judge Higgins agreed to
consider, six weeks after the pr.
mary, the then purely theoretical
question OF whether Judge Porter
could be opposed in a primary
which already had been held. Long
before the argument, OF course
Huey had placed another candi-
date, John Fournet, on the ticket
and Judge Porter had been de-
feated. Chief Justice ONelll. Wig
orously dissenting, held that Judge
Higgins opinion emascualted the
election machinery OF Louisiana.
THEY HATE ROOSEVELT
On another occasion, Huey Long
had trouble controlling the police
Jury Of East Baton Rouge Parish.