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Huey Long was a flamboyant orator. Photo by NARS, FDR
Library NPX-83-73. |
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During his three brief years in the U.S. Senate, Huey
Long became one of the most flamboyant and provocative Senators in the
nation's history. He earned the enmity of his fellow Senators due to his
frequent use of the filibuster to make some "point of principle"
about which he was especially passionate, and due to his not infrequent habit
of casting aspersions on the character of his fellow Senators. But the floor
of the Senate gave Huey Long what he prized most, a bully pulpit from which
to expound his views. He used this opportunity to the fullest--taking the
Senate floor to place in the official record his arguments for his Share The
Wealth program, and to proselytize for his general world-view. These speeches
delivered during 1934 and 1935 make his case that the nation is in a mess and
that his Share The Wealth program is the solution. THE CONGRESSIONAL
RECORD -- February 5, 1934 Mr. Long: Mr. President, I send to the desk and ask to have printed
in the RECORD not a speech but what is more in the nature of an appeal to the
people of America. There being no objection, the paper entitled "Carry Out the Command
of the Lord" was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows: By Huey P. Long, United States Senator People of America: In every community get together at once and organize a
share-our-wealth society--Motto: Every man a king Principles and platform: 1. To limit poverty by providing that every deserving family shall share
in the wealth of America for not less than one third of the average wealth,
thereby to possess not less than $5,000 free of debt. 2. To limit fortunes to such a few million dollars as will allow the
balance of the American people to share in the wealth and profits of the
land. 3. Old-age pensions of $30 per month to persons over 60 years of age who
do not earn as much as $1,000 per year or who possess less than $10,000 in
cash or property, thereby to remove from the field of labor in times of
unemployment those who have contributed their share to the public service. 4. To limit the hours of work to such an extent as to prevent
overproduction and to give the workers of America some share in the
recreations, conveniences, and luxuries of life. 5. To balance agricultural production with what can be sold and consumed
according to the laws of God, which have never failed. 6. To care for the veterans of our wars. 7. Taxation to run the Government to be supported, first, by reducing big
fortunes from the top, thereby to improve the country and provide employment
in public works whenever agricultural surplus is such as to render
unnecessary, in whole or in part, any particular crop. Simple and Concrete--Not an Experiment To share our wealth by providing for every deserving family to have one
third of the average wealth would mean that, at the worst, such a family
could have a fairly comfortable home, an automobile, and a radio, with other
reasonable home conveniences, and a place to educate their children. Through
sharing the work, that is, by limiting the hours of toil so that all would
share in what is made and produced in the land, every family would have
enough coming in every year to feed, clothe, and provide a fair share of the
luxuries of life to its members. Such is the result to a family, at the
worst. From the worst to the best there would be no limit to opportunity. One
might become a millionaire or more. There would be a chance for talent to
make a man big, because enough would be floating in the land to give brains
its chance to be used. As it is, no matter how smart a man may be, everything
is tied up in so few hands that no amount of energy or talent has a chance to
gain any of it. Would it break up big concerns? No. It would simply mean that, instead of
one man getting all the one concern made, that there might be 1,000 or 10,000
persons sharing in such excess fortune, any one of whom, or all of whom,
might be millionaires and over. I ask somebody in every city, town, village, and farm community of America
to take this as my personal request to call a meeting of as many neighbors
and friends as will come to it to start a share-our-wealth society. Elect a
president and a secretary and charge no dues. The meeting can be held at a
courthouse, in some town hall or public building, or in the home of someone. It does not matter how many will come to the first meeting. Get a society
organized, if it has only two members. Then let us get to work quick, quick,
quick to put an end by law to people starving and going naked in this land of
too much to eat and too much to wear. The case is all with us. It is the word
and work of the Lord. The Gideons had but two men when they organized. Three
tailors of Tooley Street drew the Magna Carta of England. The Lord says:
"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in
the midst of them." We propose to help our people into the place where the Lord said was their
rightful own and no more. We have waited long enough for these financial masters to do these things.
They have promised and promised. Now we find our country $10 billion further
in debt on account of the depression, and big lenders even propose to get 90
percent of that out of the hides of the common people in the form of a sales
tax. There is nothing wrong with the United States. We have more food than we
can eat. We have more clothes and things out of which to make clothes than we
can wear. We have more houses and lands than the whole 120 million can use if
they all had good homes. So what is the trouble? Nothing except that a
handful of men have everything and the balance of the people have nothing if
their debts were paid. There should be every man a king in this land flowing
with milk and honey instead of the lords of finance at the top and slaves and
peasants at the bottom. Now be prepared for the slurs and snickers of some high-ups when you start
your local spread-our-wealth society. Also when you call your meeting be on
your guard for some smart-aleck tool of the interests to come in and ask
questions. Refer such to me for an answer to any question, and I will send
you a copy. Spend your time getting the people to work to save their children
and to save their homes, or to get a home for those who have already lost
their own. To explain the title, motto, and principles of such a society I give the
full information, viz: Title: Share-our-wealth society is simply to mean that God's creatures on
this lovely American continent have a right to share in the wealth they have
created in this country. They have the right to a living, with the
conveniences and some of the luxuries of this life, so long as there are too
many or enough for all. They have a right to raise their children in a
healthy, wholesome atmosphere and to educate them, rather than to face the
dread of their under-nourishment and sadness by being denied a real life. Motto: "Every man a king" conveys the great plan of God and of
the Declaration of Independence, which said: "All men are created
equal." It conveys that no one man is the lord of another, but that from
the head to the foot of every man is carried his sovereignty. Now to cover the principles of the share-our-wealth society, I give them
in order: 1. To limit poverty: We propose that a deserving family shall share in our wealth of America at
least for one third the average. An average family is slightly less than five
persons. The number has become less during depression. The United States
total wealth in normal times is about $400 billion or about $15,000 to a
family. If there were fair distribution of our things in America, our
national wealth would be three or four or five times the $400 billion,
because a free, circulating wealth is worth many times more than wealth
congested and frozen into a few hands as is America's wealth. But, figuring
only on the basis of wealth as valued when frozen into a few hands, there is
the average of $15,000 to the family. We say that we will limit poverty of
the deserving people. One third of the average wealth to the family, or
$5,000, is a fair limit to the depths we will allow any one man's family to
fall. None too poor, none too rich. 2. To limit fortunes: The wealth of this land is tied up in a few hands. It makes no difference
how many years the laborer has worked, nor does it make any difference how
many dreary rows the farmer has plowed, the wealth he has created is in the
hands of manipulators. They have not worked any more than many other people
who have nothing. Now we do not propose to hurt these very rich persons. We
simply say that when they reach the place of millionaires they have
everything they can use and they ought to let somebody else have something.
As it is, 0.1 of 1 percent of the bank depositors nearly half of the money in
the banks, leaving 99.9 of bank depositors owning the balance. Then two thirds
of the people do not even have a bank account. The lowest estimate is that 4
percent of the people own 85 percent of our wealth. The people cannot ever
come to light unless we share our wealth, hence the society to do it. 3. Old-age pensions: Everyone has begun to realize something must be done for our old people
who work out their lives, feed and clothe children and are left penniless in
their declining years. They should be made to look forward to their mature
years for comfort rather than fear. We propose that, at the age of 60, every
person should begin to draw a pension from our Government of $30 per month,
unless the person of 60 or over has an income of over $1,000 per year or is
worth $10,000, which is two thirds of the average wealth in America, even
figured on a basis of it being frozen into a few hands. Such a pension would
retire from labor those persons who keep the rising generations from finding
employment. 4. To limit the hours of work: This applies to all industry. The longer hours the human family can rest
from work, the more it can consume. It makes no difference how many
labor-saving devices we may invent, just as long as we keep cutting down the
hours and sharing what those machines produce, the better we become. Machines
can never produce too much if everybody is allowed his share, and if it ever
got to the point that the human family could work only 15 hours per week and
still produce enough for everybody, then praised be the name of the Lord.
Heaven would be coming nearer to earth. All of us could return to school a
few months every year to learn some things they have found out since we were
there: All could be gentlemen: Every man a king. 5. To balance agricultural production with consumption: About the easiest of all things to do when financial masters and market
manipulators step aside and let work the law of the Lord. When we have a
supply of anything that is more than we can use for a year or two, just stop
planting that particular crop for a year either in all the country or in a part
of it. Let the Government take over and store the surplus for the next year.
If there is not something else for the farmers to plant or some other work
for them to do to live on for the year when the crop is banned, then let that
be the year for the public works to be done in the section where the farmers
need work. There is plenty of it to do and taxes of the big fortunes at the
top will supply plenty of money without hurting anybody. In time we would
have the people not struggling to raise so much when all were well fed and
clothed. Distribution of wealth almost solves the whole problem without
further trouble. 6. To care for the veterans of our wars: A restoration of all rights taken from them by recent laws and further, a
complete care of any disabled veteran for any ailment, who has no means of
support. 7. Taxation: Taxation is to be levied first at the top for the Governments support and
expenses. Swollen fortunes should be reduced principally through taxation.
The Government should be run through revenues it derives after allowing
persons to become well above millionaires and no more. In this manner the
fortunes will be kept down to reasonable size and at the same time all the
works of the Government kept on a sound basis, without debts. Things cannot continue as they now are. America must take one of three
choices, viz: 1. A monarchy ruled by financial masters--a modern feudalism. 2. Communism. 3. Sharing of the wealth and income of the land among all the people by
limiting the hours of toil and limiting the size of fortunes. The Lord prescribed the last form. It would preserve all our gains, share
them among our population, guarantee a greater country and a happy people. The need for such share-our-wealth society is to spread the truth among
the people and to convey their sentiment to their Members of Congress. Whenever such a local society has been organized, please send me notice of
the same, so that I may send statistics and data which such local society can
give out in their community, either through word of mouth in meetings, by
circulars, or, when possible, in local newspapers. Please understand that the Wall Street controlled public press will give
you as little mention as possible and will condemn and ridicule your efforts.
Such makes necessary the organizations to share the wealth of this land among
the people, which the financial masters are determined they will not allow to
be done. Where possible, I hope those organizing a society in one community
will get in touch with their friends in other communities and get them to
organize societies in them. Anyone can have copies of this article reprinted
in circular form to distribute wherever they may desire, or, if they want me
to have them printed for them, I can do so and mail them to any address for
60 cents per hundred or $4 per thousand copies. Sincerely, Huey P. Long, United States Senator. |