A Long Story

September 8, 1935: A nervous and unlikely assassin lurks in the Louisiana state capitol building. The new capitol, completed only three years earlier, towers over Baton Rouge as a monument to modernity and progress. It is also a monument to the limitless ego of the man who turned the building from a dream to reality, a visual testament to the many ways in which he works his will across his state. As the Senator Huey P. Long saunters down the hallway, Doctor Carl Austin Weiss nervously waits behind a marble column. The Senator is excited, moving ahead of his bodyguards and speaking in grandiose terms about his plans for the future and seemingly oblivious to the fact that his party has failed to keep up with his brisk pace. Dr. Weiss sees his chance and fires.

What happens next is chaotic and confusing for everyone. Several eyewitness accounts produce differing stories, but the facts are as follows. Huey Long is shot in the abdomen. Dr. Weiss is shot 32 times by the Senator's security detail. One of the bodyguards, a man by the name of Murphy Roden, is shot in the chest. Conspiracy theories from various parties begin surfacing almost immediately after the event. Mr. Roden is allegedly hit with a ricochet of his own bullet, and there are claims that at Senator Long was accidentally shot by his bodyguards as well. These claims are never substantiated, and in the weeks that follow, they quickly become irrelevant.

Huey Long and Murphy Roden are rushed to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge. Mr. Roden dies the next day, but the population of the state of Louisiana huddles around their radios for news about their beloved Senator. Crowds begin to gather outside the hospital for the next two days as tantalizing hints of the Senators possible recovery make their way out of the building and into the public. A detachment of the Louisiana National Guard is stationed at the hospital, both to prevent any further assassination attempts, and keep out the ever increasing mob of well wishers. By the third day after the assassination attempt, the hospital releases a statement that it has done all it can, and that the survival of the Senator is now in the hands of providence. In Michigan , Father Charles Coughlin uses his radio show to call for a nationwide day of prayer for the recovery of the Senator. A number of churches of all denominations embrace the idea and hold prayer sessions for the health of Huey Long. On the morning of the fourth day, the hospital announces that Huey Long is likely to recover, and celebrations break out across the country. Huey Long issues a short statement for the press from his hospital bed that very day, saying “I cannot leave yet. There is still too much left to do.”


















Note to my readers.
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I have never before sought to engage in the madness of online forums, but I found myself compelled to so on this occasion. I apologize if I am unaccustomed to the rules and expectations of online society. This is my first attempt at writing a story at all, in addition to being my first time posting one on the internet. Constructive criticism is welcomed, I'll likely just be glad anyone is reading it at all. My biggest question for you is this, should I continue the story in this format, or should I make it in the form of a webcomic? maybe both? I have a few panels drawn of this already. I also have several more pages of this already written, but I thought I would just post the point of divergence up and see what people thought of the general idea.
 
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Several outspoken critics of Long’s dictatorial style had been arrested in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, and the trials for their supposed part in planning the affair took place soon after. Among those arrested for the “conspiracy” was the New Orleans Mayor Walmsley. The accused “conspirators” were all found guilty, and very few newspapers in Louisiana question the decision of the court. News agencies in other parts of the country did only light reporting on the trials, in response to massive sympathy for Huey among their readers.

By the end of September, Huey was released from the hospital and was well enough to make a brief speech. Still visibly shaken by his wounds, a frail looking Huey Long delivered a speech in response to the President’s announcement of the dedication of the Boulder Dam. Huey shouted to a large crowd about the truth of the dam. He spoke out scathingly President Roosevelt, and asked pointed questions about the working conditions of the labourers who built it. He asked about the families of workers who had died building the well, and commented on the minimum wage abuses and strikebreaking that had occurred during the construction He scoffed at the name for the dam that even now was circulating, and claimed that greedy criminals like Herbert Hoover had no reason to get their name on a public work project, and suggested several unsavoury locations that Mr. Hoover might be compelled to put his name on instead. The crowd was enthusiastically applauding and laughing, but Huey had overstretched himself. Against the orders of his doctor, he failed to tone down his signature speaking style, gesturing and energetically moving about as he spoke. Several minutes into his speech, Huey cried out in pain, as the stitches in his side split open and blood began to flow onto his pristine white suit. After a moment or two of wincing in pain, Huey regained his composure and, clutching his side, made a quick joke to reassure his audience that he was all right. He continued to speak for several more minutes, surprising his audience with determination to at least bring his speech to something of a conclusion. He hastily finished informing the public about his contempt for the construction of this dam, and then excused himself to return to the hospital. The entire event was captured by the newsreel cameras, and soon was national news. The image of the Kingfish doggedly continuing with his speech in spite of the growing bloodstain on his side became incredibly admired throughout the country, and the content of his speech became the object of much discussion as a result. The public relations boost that the Roosevelt administration had attempted to gain from the Dam was largely undermined and from his hospital bed the Senator speculated that speech could not have gone better even if he had planned it that way.

At the insistence of his doctors Huey Long convalesced for several more months before attempting another speech. In that time, he met privately with a number of prominent supporters and allies, and weighed his chances of a presidential election in 1936 in light of the recent attempt on his life. The week before the Democratic National Convention, Huey hosts a Share Our Wealth convention in New Orleans where, along with Charles Coughlin and Francis Townsend, he announces his intention to split with the Democratic Party, and to create the new Union Party. President Roosevelt, proclaimed Long, was as firmly in the pocket of the corporate interests as any backwards and repressive Republican. “Where the Republican have never pretended to care about the working man, Roosevelt and his cronies present a false face of kindness to the American people” Long said in his speech. “His New Deal is really just an old deal repackaged, the people want jobs, he gives them dangerous, backbreaking, underpaid labour, the people want a real system of social security, and he gives them a mere 20 dollars a month. He gives the people just enough to keep them alive, just enough to keep them complacent, just enough to appear considerate. The American people won’t stay content with the table scraps while Millionaires continue to gorge themselves. We need a president who will really work for the working man, not some patronizing patrician!”

To everyone’s general surprise, Huey Long stated he would be remaining a senator and finishing out the last two years of his term, and not seeking the presidential nomination. Instead, support is thrown behind Burton K. Wheeler, a senator from Montana. Only a handful of other senators decide to join the union party, but several Union Party candidates declare their intention to run for various offices.


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still kinda rough, still don't exactly know what I'm doing, but I am working on it whenever I have freetime, but with my multiple jobs that is kinda uncommon.
 
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The goals of the Union Party were formally presented at the convention as well.
Their economic policy was largely dominated by the Share Our Wealth philosophy, and was dedicated to ensuring the prosperity of the American family by instituting taxes on the very wealthy. They supported a large inheritance tax to stop the wealth from remaining concentrated in the hands of a few elite families. The money from these taxes was to be spent on old age pensions, public works, and most importantly, public schools. The example of new Louisiana road system and the free textbooks for Louisiana schoolchildren were held up as triumphs of the Union Party ideology. In terms of foreign policy, the Union Party was staunchly isolationist, saying that American participation in the Great War and the Spanish American War had been only for the benefit of Wall Street and not the American People, and that there should be no involvement in the wars that so frequently engulf the European continent. The Union Party also made a point of declaring itself an enemy of communism and claiming inspiration from the Bible rather than Marx. The Christian traditions of the Social Gospel and and what would eventually be known as Liberation Theology played a large role in the Union Party beliefs, and in addition to Father Coughlin, other religious figures such as the minister Gerald L.K. Smith held important roles in the party.

In Louisiana, the elaborate system of patronage and the Long dominated press quickly converted the entire state into a Union Party stronghold. With the Square Deal Associate cowed and broken after the arrested of Walmsley and the passage of new anti-subversion laws by the Louisiana state legislature, the Union Party’s control was uncontested. A few days later, after a private discussion between Huey Long and Robert and Philip La Follette, the Wisconsin Progressive Party voted to merge with the Union Party, and Wisconsin joined enthusiastically into the Union party ranks.

The reactions to the formation of the new party were varied. The landslide victory expected to go to President Roosevelt was now in question. With the liberal vote split, the Republican Party became energized by the opportunity to take the white house, which they had previously considered slim. William Borah of Idaho sought to gain the republican nomination, but his attempts to rally the progressive elements of the Republican party failed spectacularly, and when Alf Landon of Kansas won the nomination Borah angrily switched to the Union Party. He ended his association with the Republican Party with a furious speech about the folly of choosing to follow such a bland nonentity as Landon. He was welcomed very reluctantly by the Union Party, as his stubborn nature and his willingness to speak out against his own party made the support he offered seem like a mixed blessing.











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coming next post.... The Democratic Response!
 
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Roosevelt had been attempting to crush Huey Long since before the assassination attempt. Controlling federal money going into Louisana and using it to give jobs and influence to Huey Long's opponents within the state had been one major tactic, but in the aftermath of the assassination attempt and the arrest of the mayor of New Orleans, very few people in Lousiana remained who would admit to being anti-Long. The more fanatical anti-Long politicians had simply left the state, and had begun speaking out against him from the safety of other nearby states.

Investigations into allegations of corruption had also proved fruitless, while minor functionaries in Long's organization had been caught for a variety of illegal activities, they were quickly replaced and no amount of investigation could find any link to the corruption of individuals and Huey Long. The Roosevelt administration thus wasted a great deal of resources attempting to find a non existent money trail leading to Long. For all his flashy displays of wealth and extravagant spending, Huey Long had clean hands as far as the law was concerned.

The formation of the Union Party was a major blow to the Democrats, but the majority of the Democratic Party stayed loyal to the Roosevelt administration. While the Share Our Wealth platform lured away some, Huey Long's megalomaniacal reputation and his aggressive rabblerousing did not sit well with most democrats. The southern politicians in particular had become fearful and suspicious of Long and his cronies. Having seen the way that Long had so fiercely dismembered the established power structure in Louisiana during his rise, many entrenched politicians worried about seeing their own power base viciously attacked in a similar way should Huey ever become president. Some, like Senator "Cotton Ed" Smith of South Carolina, were forced by the formation of the Union Party to stifle some of their criticisms of Roosevelt. "Cotton Ed", upon seeing an african american preacher was to scheduled to give the invocation at the Democratic Convention, considered leaving the convention hall but later told reporters "I was deeply offended, but I chose to stay. Outside of this party there are all types of vicious animals, Idaho lions and hungry kingfish, and if we Democrats can't stand together we'll all end up eaten alive."

At the convention, Roosevelt requested that the traditional rule requiring a 2/3rds majority for a presidential nomination be replaced with a simple majority vote in an attempt to stifle southern influence. Here however, the defection of some of the most liberal factions to the Union Party caused Roosevelt’s request to falter due to lack of support, and the 2/3rd majority rule stood, which kept southern support as a necessity for Roosevelt to secure the presidential nomination. Roosevelt was forced to negotiate with the southern democrats that he had recently alienated with his civil rights stances, and in the end an agreement was reached. The Democratic Party took a strong stance towards a more conservative approach to race relations, and the southern politicians became more supportive of his presidency.

The majority of the new deal coalition continued to support Roosevelt, and although a shaky compromised was reached between the New Dealers and the southern interests, the Democratic Party remained in a nervous state of truce. Roosevelt overwhelmingly won the presidential nomination. In his acceptance speech, Roosevelt expressed his regret over those who had abandoned the party, and cautioned those who remained about the danger of extremism and mob rule. While Roosevelt refused to refer to either the Union Party or Huey Long by name, his message was clear. The Democratic Party had closed ranks and was ready to defeat all threats.
 
The election of 1936 was best remembered as an election of tremendous energy from all parties. The Union Party was in its first election and its membership was possessed of an eagerness bordering on fanaticism. The early converts to the party were among the most devoted to the ideals of the party and the “Share Our Wealth” clubs were often spotted campaigning aggressively for their candidates. The Republican Party was excited about the split weakening the Democratic power base, and many republican organizations began volunteering to tout the advantages of voting for Alf Landon. The democrats, faced with the possibility of losing their grip on power came out in full force for Roosevelt and the New Deal.

Huey Long travelled constantly throughout the campaign season, giving flamboyant speeches and attracting huge crowds everywhere he travelled. The presidential candidate of the Union Party, Burton Wheeler made a number of speeches himself, but between Coughlin, Long, and Borah, his speeches were inevitably overshadowed at every Union Party event. While popular sentiment was with the new Union Party, the number of people who would actually switch parties remained constantly in doubt. The Union Party gathered by far the most public attention, and newsreels and radio speculated constantly about the chances of the new party. In spite of this, the Union Party was perceived as having almost no chance for success in the 1936 election.

The Republican Party in spite of the energized support at the lower levels of the party, soon faltered as Alf Landon proved to be a dismally bad campaigner. He stayed infuriatingly silent throughout the campaign season, to the dismay of his party. His campaign attempted to gain support from Jesse Owens, who had recently achieved nationwide fame as a result of his triumphs in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Owens however, was lacklustre in his public support of Landon, and it soon became clear that he wasn’t speaking for Landon, but instead he was just speaking against Roosevelt . The Union Party also had been speaking against Roosevelt , and the support from Owens for the Republican campaign proved to be almost as big a boost for the Union Party as it was for the Republicans. After one speech in Philadelphia, where Huey Long spent two hours ranting about the many failures of Roosevelt, a reporter asked him why in two hours of speaking he had failed to make any mention of the republican candidate Alf Landon. He responded with a sarcastic quip that was soon reprinted in papers across the country, “Alf Who?”.



Roosevelt himself ran a strong campaign, repeatedly stating the many accomplishments of his New Deal programs rather than openly attacking the Union Party candidates. While Huey Long in particular was adept at piercing personal attacks against individual candidates, Roosevelt kept a cool head and for the most part did not lower himself to the level of open insults in the 1936 campaign. His optimistic speeches were widely received as being very reassuring. His reluctant new allies in the southern states rallied support behind him in their states. When Election Day approached the president’s chances for re-election seemed high.







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i think this story is still kind of rough hewn and infrequently updated, but getting better maybe?

again, if i am making any forum etiquette mistakes or anything, please let me know.

thanks a bunch.

Anyway, coming next week, election results!
I think I will be drawing a map for that, or at the very least find a modifiable map on the internet if i don't have enough time to draw it.
 
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I have to say, while I don't know that much about American politics pre-WW2, you've got me hooked on this. Subscribed, I can't wait for the next update.
 
admiralcrunch

Interesting idea and wondering what will develop. Could be very bad, both for the US and the world.

One point in that you have duplicated most of you're last post.

Steve
 
admiralcrunch

Interesting idea and wondering what will develop. Could be very bad, both for the US and the world.

One point in that you have duplicated most of you're last post.

Steve


ah, oops. you're right. I think i just fixed it. I wrote part of it during my lunch break at work and then copy pasted it onto my home computer later, must have done it twice. sorry.
 
1936 Election

1936.jpg


Franklin Roosevelt=463 Electoral Votes
Alf Landon=58 Electoral Votes
Burton K. Wheeler=10 Electoral Votes


President Roosevelt won his second term by a wide margin. The New Deal Coalition, with the backing of the Solid South, helped to maintain his hold on the executive branch. Alf Landon's lack of campaigning skills, coupled with the still widespread belief that the Republican Party had caused the Great Depression, also helped to give Roosevelt an edge in the election. While the republicans did manage to win several states in the upper midwest, it was clear that their victories there were the result of the Union Party splitting the Democratic vote rather than any great Republican strategy. The progressive spirit of the midwest had been strong for years, and in the 1936 election there was a great deal of confusion as progressive factions from both the Democratic and Republican parties began considering the Union Party as a viable alternative. La Follette, Borah and Wheeler were among the most prominent politicians attempting to unite the various state level organizations into the new Union Party, and managed to make a strong showing in their states in the 1936 election. The result was largely chaotic, as all three parties gathered a considerable number of votes, and nearly a week passed before a clear winner could be declared in several states. By that time however, the Democratic sweep in the rest of the country had already given Roosevelt the number of electoral votes needed to secure his second term.

In Louisiana, the only state to go for the Union Party candidate, the voting was overwhelmingly lopsided. The Long political machine had already undermined the democratic process in Louisiana to the point where those who weren't voting Union Party didn't even bother to vote. The number of Louisiana voters who stayed home that election was unusually high, indicating that not everyone in the state was totally supportive of the new party and the radical direction that politics had begun to take in the state.




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Coming next, Election results continued, Congressional Races and New Governors.
 
1936 Election continued

SENATE
Democrat 72
Republican 18
Union 5
Farmer-Labor 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Democrat 310
Republican 94
Union 26
Farmer-Labor 5

The 75th Congress of the United States saw 5 Union Party Senators.
Huey Long, Robert La Follette Jr, George Norris, William Borah, and Gerald Nye all had declared ties to the Union Party. The party loyalty and political unity of the new party had yet to be demonstrated, and most observers predicted that disagreement and infighting would arise to tear the fledgling party apart from inside. The Farmer-Labor Party, a 3rd party from Minnesota had similar beliefs to the Union Party, and was expected to be incorporated into the Union Party after another round of negotiations.

The Governor of Louisiana, O.K. Allen, a longtime friend and ally of Huey Long had died in January of natural causes. His replacement, James A. Noe had served for several months as Governor before the election, and was overwhelmingly elected in 1936 with Long’s approval. The Lieutenant governor was to be Richard W. Leche which caused a minor disagreement within the state level organization of the Union Party. Leche won with the backing of Huey Long, in spite of the fact that Earl Long, Huey’s younger brother, had been campaigning for the position. Earl did not take well to this slight, but his brother reassured him privately that his time would come.



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Sorry it took a while to update, I got bogged down for days reading up on each individual congressional race that year. I got sick of that pretty fast, and figured everyone else would too if I went and posted it, so I just listed the numbers instead of every name. Hope that's ok. In other news, next week is finals week in my last semester of college. By next Friday I will be graduated and done with school forever, & will have less time spent studying and more time updating this.
 
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