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College, who resigned his Senate seat last August. "A man who has a contract with the people can't resign," bellowed the Kingfish. President Fredericks wired a hasty acceptance of the invitation to retake his seat when Long's bodyguard, Joe Messina, threatened to put him under arrest if he refused. The Senate showed a spark of spirit by voting down one bill when Boss Long was away. But when he swaggered back to the chamber the Chair hastily reversed its ruling, declared the bill passed.
Huey Long has always blamed Standard Oil Co. of Louisiana for the abortive movement to impeach him as Governor in 1929 (TIME, April 8, 1929, et seq.). He has hated the old city of Alexandria since some of its citizens rotten-egged him during a political speech last year. Last week the vindictive Kingfish caught up with one old enemy by laying a tax of 5¢ per barrel on oil refining within the State and disposed of another with a bill ousting all Alexandria's elected officials, giving him power to replace them.
But no grudge did the Kingfish bear against "my university" because some of the journalism students at Louisiana State had dared to criticize him (TIME, Dec. 10) or because its football coach refused to take his orders. Last week he upped the State's corporation franchise tax from $1.50 to $2.00 per $1,000 of capital, to provide $500,000 for schools of dentistry and pharmacy at Louisiana State. With other bills Boss Long grabbed power to: 1) appoint sheriffs' deputies; 2) cripple New Orleans finances by banning municipal liquor taxes; 3) lay a sweeping tax on manufacturers; 4) take over the government of East Baton Rouge Parish, anti-Long stronghold containing the State capital, as a first step in making it his own "little District of Columbia."