“I used to try to get things done by saying ‘please’,” he later told reporters. “Now I dynamite them out of my path.”

Long had called a special legislative session to enact an “occupational license tax” of five cents a barrel on refined oil to finance his welfare programs. The state’s oil interests enlisted Cecil Morgan — a 30-year-old freshman representative from Shreveport who later became general counsel of Standard Oil Co. — to spearhead the impeachment proceedings.

All in all, Long faced 19 allegations. They included bribing lawmakers to get bills passed, carrying a concealed weapon, demolishing the previous governor’s mansion without legislative authorization and attending a drunken party where a stripper was present. He was also accused of trying to arrange the murder of state Rep. Jared Sanders Jr., the son of a former governor, who had grappled with Long in the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans.

The impeachment effort touched off fistfights on the state House floor. Several lawmakers reportedly used brass knuckles in the bloody brawl. The House finally voted to impeach Long on eight of the 19 counts.

When the issue moved to the Senate, Long produced a document signed by 15 of the 39 senators — one more than the one-third needed to block action — stating they would vote against impeachment because the trial was illegal. With the needed two-thirds majority required to convict out of reach, Long’s opponents halted the proceedings. He finished his gubernatorial term and served three years in the U.S. Senate.

SOURCE: WWW.HUEYLONG.COM