Anti-Long Merger

A marvelous thing is the crawfish. He revels in mud and in slime. He wallows in gutters, this raw fish, And has a most wonderful time. . . .

With editorials, cartoons and jingles (such as above) the New Orleans States fought the rule of Huey Pierce ("King-fish") Long in Louisiana for the past five years. The wily Kingfish did not take this sort of thing lying down. He won over the Item and Tribune, whose Publisher James Mcllhany Thomson (son-in-law of the late great Champ Clark) had formerly opposed him. by giving the Thomson papers all State advertising, by forcing State employes to subscribe.

There was no grief in the heart of Senator Long last week when the 53-year-old States (circulation 38,000) ceased to be an independent newspaper. The Times-Picayune bought its name, circulation, A. P., Universal, N. E. A. and King Features franchises for $525,000 cash.

On the eve of the sale, John Dunbrack Ewing, trustee and operator since 1931 of his late father's paper, called the States staff together. A note of bitterness found its way into his farewell address when he recalled that "Huey Long by threats and terrorism had blocked efforts to refinance after the bank troubles this spring, when the States was caught in the Canal Bank & Trust Co. [TIME, April 3]." He was happy to say that the Times-Picayune, "the South's oldest and richest newspaper" and no friend to Huey Long, would retain the States' senior staff members, including Editor J. Walker Ross who has served the paper for 48 years. The Times-Picayune is a morning paper. The States continues in the evening field, merging its Sunday edition with that of its purchaser with the result that the Times-Picayune will have 20 pages of Sunday comics.

Overnight the States newshawks moved their typewriters into the Times-Picayune building, reported for duty at 7 a. m., beat a 9:15 deadline by three minutes. With New Orleans' four papers now squarely lined up in two opposing camps, the first hostile act was not long forthcoming. The States maintained its price of 3-c-. (The Times-Picayune costs 5-c-.) The Item, proLong evening paper, reduced the price of its "Blue Streak" late afternoon sports final to a penny.

Saturday was a busy day for the Times-Picayune's Photographer Hardy S. Williams. In the morning a Honduran rumrunner broke away from a deputy marshal, tried to smash Photographer Williams's camera with his manacled hands. The alert cameraman sidestepped, snapped. In the evening Williams showed up at the Louisville & Nashville Railway Station with a flock of newshawks who had detected Huey Long in the act of trying to slip quietly off to Washington. (Supposed reason: to try to get revoked the appointment of Lawyer Paul B. Habans, whom he dislikes, as Louisiana manager of Federal Home Owners Loan Corp.) With the Senator was his personal bodyguard, swart Joe Messina.

While Messina waved a revolver. Senator Long charged Photographer Williams, managed to break the flashlight bulb on his camera. Fists doubled, he turned on the Times-Picayune's Reporter Samuel Lang. Quick-witted, the reporter called out: "Get a picture of Messina with his gun out!" Hastily the bodyguard pocketed his gun, fled from sight. Then Reporter Lang challenged : "Come on and hit me if you want to, Senator, your gunman's gone now." Senator Long stopped. looked around, dropped his hands. "I don't want to hit you," he snarled and ran aboard the Crescent Limited for Washington.

Next day the Times-Picayune published a four-column layout of New Orleans' charging wild life with the caption: "Rumrunner and Senator Threaten Times-Picayne Photographer."

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