THE LONGS' LEGISLATIVE LIEUTENANTS Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Renwick, Edward Francis, 1938- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 27/09/2021 07:57:32 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/284839 This dissertation has been 67-10,313 microfilmed exactly as received RENWICK, Edward Francis, 1938- THE LONGS' LEGISLATIVE LIEUTENANTS. University of Arizona, Ph.D„ 1967 Political Science, general University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan © COPYRIGHTED BY EDWARD FRANCIS RENWICK 1967 iii THE LONGS' LEGISLATIVE LIEUTENANTS by Edward Francis Renwick A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 6 7 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE I hereby recommend that this dissertation prepared under my direction by Edward Francis Renwick entitled LONGS' LEGISLATIVE LIEUTENANTS be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy • 1 y/Am / 1 "• 7 r Dissertation/Dlrectror Date / After inspection of the dissertation, the following members of the Final Examination Committee concur in its approval and recommend its acceptance:* ^ //"lb7 /hi in *This approval and acceptance is contingent on the candidate's adequate performance and defense of this dissertation at the final oral examination. The inclusion of this sheet bound into the library copy of the dissertation is evidence of satisfactory performance at the final examination. STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or re­ production of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: PREFACE The most common response I have received from people learning I am writing a study concerning Longism is "everything has already been said about the Longs. There's nothing left to write." True, enough irrational, superficial and violently anti-Long articles and books exist concerning Longism to fill a bookshelf. Repeatedly the Longs have been detailed as dictators and buffons but there has been little research on the rise of the Longs in Louisiana. However, there have been a few very notable exceptions: V. 0. Key, "Southern Politics"; Allen Sindler, "Huey Long's Louisiana"; and the work of T. Harry Williams, Perry Howard, both of Louisiana State University, and William Havard, now at the University of Massachusetts. The techniques of the Longs and the position of the legislature in a one party state dominated by a strong executive has also been omitted from the book-shelf of Longism. This study is an attempt to describe and interpret the last mentioned of these seldom treated subjects. How did the Longs deal with the legislature? Were the Longs their own legislative leaders or did a viable structure of legislative leader­ ship exist in Louisiana during the tenure of the Longs? These are the questions that this study, hopefully, will develop and try to answer. The interaction between the executive and the legislature will be the prime subject of concern over the following pages. iv V Though responsibility for what follows is mine, I wish to acknow­ ledge my gratitude to the numerous persons and organizations who have assisted me in this study. A National Center of Education in Politics fellowship enabled me to join the staff of Governor John McKeithen of Louisiana for a semester. During this period, through the courtesy of the Governor and his assistants, I was able to view gubernatorial operations first hand and to gain insights into the complex structure of Pelican politics. Contacts made at the State Capitol were of invaluable assistance in helping to locate information and in obtaining interviews with various Louisiana political figures. My thanks and appreciation go to Senator Michael H. O'Keefe of New Orleans who graciously asked me to serve as his assistant for both a fiscal and a regular session of the state legislature. This was an experience that widened my political understanding of executive-legislative relationships. The competent staff of the Secretary of State's office rendered all possible assistance in their search for numerous political documents. Extensive library privileges were generously granted me at the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette, the Louisiana State Library and the Louisiana State University Library in Baton Rouge and the Howard Tilton Memorial Library at Tulane University in New Orleans. The staffs of these libraries rendered unfailing assistance to the author. I owe a great debt of gratitude to those Louisianians, represent­ ing a cross section of political factions, who openly and reflectively responded to my many requests for information and analysis. Those inter­ viewed are not individually thanked or identified throughout the study in vi keeping to a commitment I made with each interviewee. Their insights and reflections informed the author at every significant turn in the project. Numerous other persons delivered necessary and important help to the author. Dr. Conrad Joyner, my dissertation director, has patiently prodded and assisted me throughout this trying experience. In addition the other members of my committee are owed a debt of thanks and apprecia­ tion for their assistance. Dr. Robert Crisler deserves an accolade for being an understanding boss grown accustomed to accepting further delays in the completion of this project. Some special obligations are also in order. Winston Riddick offered his knowledgeable comments and analysis of highway politics, and generally helped the author in his efforts to understand this complicated aspect of Louisiana politics. To Elizabeth Thiels and Shirley Cox for attempting to make my prose readable goes my sincere thanks for their thankless task. Mrs. Gloria Murray for correcting my errors and typing the various editions of this dissertation also deserves a special thank you. James Chubbuck for his incisive comments, editing assistance, and calming of seared nerves deserves more thanks than I can give him and more Scotch than I can buy him. To my parents I also owe a special debt, financial and otherwise, for their faith in me. / TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE iv Chapter I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. THE ANATOMY OF A PELICAN 7 Leadership: Its Development 8 Louisiana: Its Makeup 10 The Era of Discontent 21 Populism--The Second Revolution 23 Pre-Longism 27 III. THE WINNFIELD REVOLUTIONARY 31 The Youth of a Legend 31 Prelude to Power 36 The Governorship 47 The Last Phase 51 IV. AND ALONG CAME EARL 54 Earl's Early Life 55 The Beginning of Earl's Political Career 57 Earl on His Own 60 The First Administration 62 The Long Wait 66 Longism--Second Phase 70 Return to Power 78 The Last Administration 82 V. THE GOVERNOR: POWER AND INFLUENCE 92 The Constitutional Position of the Governor 93 Aspects of Gubernatorial Power 94 The Burgeoning Bureaucracy 98 Appointive Power 101 Local Appointive Power 105 The Techniques of Influence 109 vii viii Chapter Page The Politics of Money 120 Conclusion 124 VI. THE LEGISLATURE: MYTHS AND REALITIES 126 Constitutional and Legal Requirements 127 The Legislative Environment 129 The Legislative Work Load 130 The Leadership Structure 135 The Legislature and Its Shortcomings 140 Legislative Procedure 144 Lobbying 148 Conclusion 153 VII. THE LONGS DOMINATE: THE VETO POWER 155 The Long Veto 157 Reasons for Disapproval 164 The Item Veto 171 The Threat of Veto 174 VIII. THE LONGS' ADVOCATE: MESSAGES AND SPECIAL SESSIONS. 177 Promises and Platforms 177 Huey's Presentation 182 Earl's Presentation 184 The Special Session 187 The Longs' Use of Special Sessions 190 The Longs' Success with the Special Sessions 198 IX. "I BOUGHT HIM LIKE A SACK OF POTATOES." 202 The Assumption of Power 203 The Impeachment 213 Louisiana Crowns Their King 222 The Depression 223 Huey Long's Legislative Program 226 Huey Long and His Roads 228 X. "I JUST RENT 'EM. IT'S CHEAPER THAT WAY." 244 Earl's Political Techniques 244 The 1948-1952 Administration 250 The Last Administration 257 ix Chapter Page The Two-Thirds Rule 261 The Politics of Race 266 Conclusion 273 XI. CONCLUSIONS 275 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 281 LIST OF TABLES Table Page I. Negro Voting Registration in Louisiana (Selected Years) 15 II. Full Time Employeesthe State of Louisiana for the Years Huey or Earl Long Served as the State's Governor 100 III. Comparative Analysis of Appointive Power of Louisiana Governors (State) 102 IV. Local Vacancies Filled by Governor Long 1956-1960 106 V. Gubernatorial Appointive Positions in Local Government 108 VI. State of Louisiana Budgets, 1926-27 to 1932-33 .... 121 VII. State of Louisiana Budgets, 1947-48 to 1951-52, 1955-56 to 1959-60 123 VIII. State of Louisiana Welfare Department Expenditures (Selected Years) 123 IX. Costs of the Louisiana Legislature (Selected Years) 133 X. Employees Division of Labor, 1958 Regular Session (Senate) 143 XI. Employees Division of Labor, 1958 Regular Session (House) 143 XII. Volume of Legislation and Vetoes During Regular and Special Sessions, 1928-1931 159 XIII. Volume of Legislation and Vetoes During Regular and Special Sessions, 1939-1940, 1948-1952, 1956-1960 160 XIV. Veto Patterns of Huey Long, 1928-1931 161 x xi Table Page XV. Veto Patterns of Earl Long, 1939-1940, 1948- 1952, 1956-1960 162 XVI.