Gov. Long's Shoes

Governor Huey Long of Louisiana woke up early one morning, last week, and thought about shoes. He knew that 1,600 prisoners in the Louisiana State Penitentiary were making their own shoes. He knew that the shoes were very short-lived. Each convict was wearing" out three pairs a year.

Investigating he found that the prison's shoe bill was $55,000 a year, or $35 per man per annum. This seemed extravagant. Why should Louisiana pay its convicts $12 per pair for shoes worn out in penal servitude?

Governor Long discovered a shoemaker who would supply solid boots, good for six months of prison mileage, at $1.60 the pair. This figure made the shoe bill only $3.20 per convict per annum. Pleased with himself, Governor Long loudly called attention to a saving of $50,000 a year or $200,000 for a four-year term.