Road from West Berlin

Road From West Berlin, oil on panel, 18"x24", Steven Rhude, Argyle Fine Art

Part 2
This is a poor state, the opposition always screamed. But the Boss said: "There is a passel of pore folks living in it and no mistake, but the state isn't poor. It is just a question of who has got his front feet in the trough when slopping time comes. And I aim to do me some shoving and thump me some snouts." And he leaned forward to the crowd with the shagged - down forelock and the bulging eyes, and he had lifted his right arm to demand of them and of the hot sky, "Are you with me? Are you with me?" And the roar had come.
                                                        Robert Penn Warren - All the King's Men




Huey Long made a splash in Louisiana politics as a member of the Louisiana Railroad Commission fighting corporate monopolies and reducing utility rates. By age 30 he was a major force in state politics and ran for governor in 1924, finally achieving that office in 1928. Long created the Share our Wealth program in 1934 with the motto, "Every Man a King", proposing new wealth redistribution measures in the form of a net asset tax on corporations and individuals to curb the poverty and homelessness endemic nationwide during the Great Depression. Long was accused by his opponents of dictatorial tendencies for his near - total control of state government. A leftist populist who fought the rich people, he was preparing to challenge FDR's reelection in 1936 in alliance with radio's influential Catholic priest Charles Coughlin, or run for president in 1940 when Franklin Roosevelt was expected to retire. However, Long was assassinated in 1935; his national movement faded while his state organisation continued in Louisiana.

The political machine Long established was weakened by his death, but it remained a powerful force in state politics until the election of 1960. Pockets of it persisted into the 21st century. The Long platform of social programs and populist rhetoric created the state's main political division. In every state election until 1960, the main factions were organised along the pro - Long and anti - Long lines. For several decades after his death, Long's personal political style inspired imitation among Louisiana politicians who borrowed his colourful speaking style, vicious verbal attacks on opponents and promises of social programs. His brother Earl Kemp - Long later inherited Long's political machine. Using his platform and rhetorical style, Earl Long became governor in 1939 following the resignation of Richard Leche and was elected to subsequent terms in 1948 and 1956. [1]


Increasingly in Nova Scotia, coastal roads, buildings, closed schools and businesses, and out migration to urban centres, bear witness to the long standing challenge to reconcile the old with the new. Living vicariously through the promises and incentives of politicians (town, municipal, or provincial), one can observe years of disappointment and struggle - a cultural patina imbued on our coastal communities as much by regional disparity as by external forces. It's more than just weather or an image picturesque for the do-ers and dreamers who visit during the summertime. Not a lot has changed though. If you listen closely you can hear the fiery populist rhetoric in the wind, from Sidney to Halifax, and on to Lunenburg then Yarmouth, every time an election approaches. Promises, promises....


1 references, Wikipedia, All the King's Men, Robert Penn Warren  


Steven Rhude, Wolfville, NS.