Comedie Louisianaise

"He told me to go to Hell."

Seldom does Senator Huey Pierce Long publicly admit that anyone has told him to "go to Hell." Yet last week he announced the fact with evident delight. His own man, Governor Oscar Kelly Allen, had, he said, given him that unpleasant consignment.

When another of his men, buzzard-bald Thomas Semmes Walmsley, Mayor of New Orleans, broke with Boss Long six months ago, the Louisiana "Kingfish" was less delighted. Last week he began his battle for revenge, a titan struggle of political machines, a free-for-all catch-as-catch-can with the courts, the national guard, the police, machine guns, radio and bad names as weapons. Point of the fight: Louisiana holds its Democratic primary Sept. 11.

To break Mayor Walmsley's control of the New Orleans police, Boss Long had the State Legislature pass a law turning control of the police over to an independent board. To seize the tax reins of the city, Boss Long had Governor Allen appoint Long henchmen to the local Board of Tax Assessors, advised citizens to ignore the Walmsley board's assessments. Finally Boss Long prodded Governor Allen into a moral crusade against Mayor Walmsley, charging that his police had protected bawdy houses, dice games, other iniquities. As a final blow the Governor, early last week, declared "partial" martial law in New Orleans, marched in his guardsmen, seized the office of the local registrar of voters, "purged" the rolls of some 24,000 names which would undoubtedly "vote Walmsley" in the September primary.

Mayor Walmsley replied with injunctions against the new police board, against the Long tax assessors, against Boss Long himself, demanding the immediate withdrawal of guardsmen.

Meantime horrendous weapons were displayed. In the registrar's office gunning guardsmen mounted four machine guns on shiny-topped desks. Through open windows the guns were trained upon the City Hall opposite. Mayor Walmsley swore in 500 new police, bought a dozen submachine guns, threatened to annihilate the guardsmen if they interfered with city government. All these martial preparations landed New Orleans on the front page of the nation's Press. The country held its breath in excitement for the outbreak of local war, with St. Charles Street running blood and the dead piled high in LaFayette Square.

High words mixed with the clank of arms. Cried Governor Allen:

"Tell the world that New Orleans is now to be known as the centre of learning and science; the gateway to all continents; the centre of the greatest highway, railway and water developments in the world; and that the reign of vice and crime is a thing of the past! Let no one try to flaunt the warning I have given."

Cried Mayor Walmsley: "Huey Long . . . that madman! . . . coward! . . . pirate! . . . Caligula! . . . Nero! Attila! Henry VIII! Louis XI!"

Threatened by the courts with jail if he did not remove the troops, Boss Long went to Baton Rouge, saw his friend Governor Allen, emerged beaming: "The Governor called in his bodyguard and defied me. He told me to go to Hell." Score for the first week of "war" in New Orleans: killed, 0; injured, 0.

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