The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-06-06
By WEsTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORK, - The New York Times is
inclined to regard jest the proposal of
member Of the Louisiana legislature to forbid
by law the wearing of coats and neckties
between June l and October l. This could
be true. For times do change, old customs
giving way to new. But, had Raymond Daniel,
| Of the Times, been consulted on the basis of
his experience in Louisiana during the die
tatorship Of Huey Long, he might have told
the editorial writer to turn the matter over
and consider other possibilities including the
interests Of the clothing and necktie trades
which would be in jeopardy and worth saving
at some cash outlay placed upder a stone by a
bayou bridge. five miles out of Baton Rouge
| This may. indded, have been. as the Times
suspects, a low-comedy bill, such as often
drops into the hoppers OF the state assemblies
every year, or even an honest, if unconstitu-
tonal, protest against discomfort imposed by
convention Still another possibility, however,
the Kingfish recognized when he said, in his
day, that he could buy and sell the members
ct the Louisiana legislature like sacks of po-
tatoes, and not necessarily at the market price
for good potatoes, and in the interests of ef-
ficiency, decreed that all strike bills were to
clear through him.
| That did simplify matters while the King
| fish lived, for the petroleum, shipping and
soft drink interests relied his discipline
and thus were spared the need to haggle
with individual up-country clay and-acorn eat
ers and runners for books and cribs Of New
Orleans who, ordinarily would have gone aft
er extra money in manner honored by time
and legislative practice, if not by ethics, the
country over. But Huey Long lies moldering
in his grave; his speaker and legislative straw
} boss, Allen Ellender, adorns, in an elaborate
manner of speaking, the United States SEN
ate; and the legislature long ago broke dis
cipline, whether for better or for worse we
do not know. 1t is optimistic, to be sure,
and good policy, to assume that this bill was
offered as protest against the heat of the
Louisiana summer and those who cannot join
in this assumption surely will not refuse to
hope. But realist Of reminiscent mind may
permit himself to speculate how much it would
be worth 20 manufacturers and dealers in
coats and ties to protect their market during
one-third of each calendar year, bearing in
mind that Huey would have reckoned this down
to fine figure and settled out of court for
a free-will contribution to his share-our-wealth
society.
u I have sometimes wondered whether Huey
was the cynic thought he was or I was al
fault myself He was utterly practical, knowing
his statesmen as small-scale farmer knows
his swine, and he had reached the sensible
conclusion that, with his superior intelligence
there was no sense in trusting them. 1t would
be wasteful and descriptive to permit each
threatened interest to deal individually with the
members whereas he, man of his word anc
. with power to keep his pledge, could do bust
ness brislzly In the governors office while
that gentle servant played spit-for- a-crack with
the commissioners and fly-cops down the cor
' ridor. He rewarded the statesmen on sor
Of weekday basis the year round through
j.. jobs for their INDECENT kinfollxs, commission.
on state purchases and per diem and mileagt
for the theoretical committee work. though
r otherwise, but I was thinking of ethics ane
. ideals which had place in the problem
= So Huey surely was right to the extent that
under the known conditions his way was more
5 efficient and more profitable to all concerned
S He might not have permitted such a bill
d to come out of the box at all for, although
: Huey sometimes played the clown, he never
played the fool Mussolin in his early days
$ forbade the Austrians of his conquered land
to ycdel but still they yodeled under thei
c breath and Huey would have realized tina
rebels in Louisiana, forbidden to wear coat
and ties, would hold secret meetings In tn
J. woods to defy him in wholly unnecessary ex
IS preston of his authority Moreover, as prac
r. teal matter he might have decided that De
cause so few Louisiana men do wear coat
g and ties in summer the trade would hav
s. been unable to carry pay-load on negigi
ic BILE market
II Postwar planes according to an aeronauti
- cal authority, will be as ''safe as bathtubs
IN What's he trying to do-discourage small boy
rs from wanting to become pllots!