On 1/1/15 2:27 AM, Frank S wrote:
>
> I can't let this go without telling the story. That has the look of a
> is. The Louisiana Long Dynasty, right?
>
> I couldn't tell you what month it was, but Uncle Earl ran in a primary
> in 1959-60, he did the old-fashioned campaigning, personally appearing
> everywhere there was a voter. It didn't work that well for him, as
> Jimmy Davis became the Democratic candidate (who won the final by
> something like 80-20%), campaigning in the same way. Earl supported
> Davis and When Davis came to the Shreveport area, I was eager to see him
> in action, more as a historical curiosity, than any political interest.
>
> Happened I found him in a shopping-center parking lot in Bossier City,
> across the river from Shreveport, and just outside the north gate of
> Barksdale AFB, where I was serving the last few months of my Air Force
> enlistment. His retinue consisted of two eighteen-wheelers, one a cargo
> van and one a flatbed, in addition to numerous ancillary vehicles,
> possibly including the one in the photo. The van was loaded with folding
> tables, musical instruments, and cases of paper cups and straight
> bourbon. The tables went in a row in front of and parallel to the
> flatbed, the instruments went on the flatbed with the musicians, and the
> cups/bourbon went on the tables.
>
> The musicians played (could you guess?) "You Are My Sunshine", Jimmy
> stepped up, sang and invited everyone to have a drink, sing along, and
> vote for him, minions passed out jigger-amounts of liquor in the cups
> while Earl made clear his intention to make everyone happy by continuing
> segregation in public schools, two chickens in every garage, etc. When
> the sharp-eyed monitors saw 'most everyone had his drink and the
> repeaters tried to cadge another, everyone packed everything up and into
> the van and Ranch Wagons and away they rolled.
>
> and I didn't get the second drink, but we were both cheerful about it.
> He probably understood from my accent or lack thereof that I wasn't
> truly a voter, anyway.
>
> Something to know about Louisiana in those days: There was a pretty lax
> attitude with regard to drinking and driving. You could roll up to a
> burger-drive-in restaurant and order your food and a drink. Cocktail.
> Old Fashioned, Tom Collins, Scotch and water. Beer. And drink it in your
> car, along with eating your meal. My MG TD, with the fold-down
> windscreen was a useful piece of equipment in more than one way, those
> days.
>
>
> I'd had another "Long" contact a few months earlier, in a pleasant bar
> on Milam Street in Shreveport: just having a Scotch-rocks before a date,
> swapping jokes and jibes with a couple of nice guys, one on each side of
> me. The talk came around to horses, and the fellow on my left mentioned
> he had a few Tennessee Walker horses, too many, and wanted to sell two
> or three. Fellow on the right, said it was quite a coincidence, as he
> was shopping for Tennessee Walkers. They went back and forth across me,
> and agreed on a deal, three from Left to Right for $2,300 each,
> delivered. Man on the right whipped out his checkbook and scribbled one
> for $6,900, passed it to me to give to the seller. Buyer's name on the
> check: Palmer Long, brother to Earl.
>
> OT; TL;DNR is OK.
>
That was a very interesting story Frank. Thank you and Happy New
Year to you and yours.
Rich
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