Biographies: Julius Tison Long, 1957, Winn Parish, LA Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: October 3, 1957 Winn Parish Enterprise News-American (H. B. Bozeman article reprinted by permission granted me by Mr. Estes Bozeman) Winn Parish As I Have Known It by Julius T. Long Article 52 Julius T. Long was the real founder of the so-called Long political dynasty of Louisiana, and not Huey Long. The Long family came to Louisiana from Mississippi before the Civil War. From then until Julius Tison Long was elected district attorney of the Fifth Judicial District (Jackson and Winn Parishes), in 1912, no Long had ever been elected to any public office in Winn Parish above the ward level. Julius Long was born at the Huey P. Long, Sr., farm in Ward Nine, near Corinth Church, nearly 14 years before little Huey was born here, in what is now the City of Winnfield, in 1893. Huey P. Long, Sr. had bought several hundred acres in what is now much of Winnfield, east of the Rock Island tracks, along about 1886, and moved his family here from Ward Nine. R. W. "Bob" Dawson, a few months ago, told me his family were neighbors to the Long family in Ward Nine and that Julius made his father a good farm hand, both in Ward Nine and after moving to Winnfield. Bob Dawson said he knew what he was talking about as he had worked in the field plowing, chopping, and picking cotton right along side Julius. Julius Long attended the schools then available here in Winnfield. He must have been a very good student. Dr. George S. Long in a letter me March 4, 1957, says that he doesn't remember the exact date but that Julius Long and his Winnfield teacher, some time before the first railroad got to Winnfield, went to Natchitoches and took a teacher's examination. Also taking the teacher's examination was a young man about Julius' age from near Goldonna named Osborn Gunter. Dr. George S. Long says that the surprising thing about the outcome of this teacher's examination was that Julius Long and Osborn Gunter were awarded First Grade Certificates and Julius' Winnfield teacher only qualified for a Second Grade teacher's certificate. Dr. Long states that after Julius got his teacher's certificate he taught school in Natchitoches Parish. When the Arkansas Southern railroad got here and the building boom got under way, Julius Long became a carpenter. George E. Smith, who worked with Julius, said Julius got to be a real good carpenter. My home here in Winnfield at the corner of East Main and Pineville Streets was build in 1904. Julius Long has often told me about helping build my house. As a young man Julius Long was said to be frugal and thrifty. Anyway, he had accumulated enough savings, plus a run of some good financial fortune in some extra curricular activities in Monroe, to finance his way through Tulane Law School. I think he started practicing law here about 1907. In the fall of 1912 Cas Moss and Julius Long, on a political lineup ticket opposed Judge W. M. Wallace and District Attorney John Henry Mathews, the incumbents. Jackson and Winn Parishes then were in the same judicial district. After a hotly contested political campaign, the Cas Moss-Julius Long combine won the district judgeship and district attorney's office. Huey had married in 1913 and continued as a traveling salesman until after the outbreak of World War I. Immediately after the start of the war, business just collapsed. Particularly was this true here in the South where cotton prices dropped to almost nothing. Huey was then working North Louisiana for the Chattanooga Medicine Company and Dudley J. LeBlanc in South Louisiana. The medicine company cut off many of its salesmen in late August, 1914, including Huey and Dudley LeBlanc. Huey got his cut-off notice at the Bentley Hotel in Alexandria. He called Julius here in Winnfield, telling of his job loss, saying that he did not know what to do. If my memory is correct, Julius told Huey he would catch the afternoon train and meet him in Alexandria that night and try to help Huey work out something. Although Huey had developed into a top notch salesman in the past two years and had drawn very good salaries for those days, plus his expenses, he had not saved anything. Huey just was not the saving type. Julius told Huey now was the time for him to go to law school. That there did not look like there were going to be any sales jobs soon. Julius told Huey that he could work up a schedule of essential law subjects, that Huey could take as a special law student at Tulane, and if he mastered, would assure his passing the bar examination before the Supreme Court. Julius, also, agreed to finance Huey and his wife's stay in New Orleans while Huey was going the nine months to Tulane. Julius, Huey, and Huey's wife, Rose, worked out a monthly living budget for Huey and Rose, while at school. This Julius agreed to underwrite. Here, I want to say it is my opinion, that Huey never would or could have lived on the monthly budget they agreed on, except for the splendid economical management of that budget by Huey's wife, Rose. Huey passed the bar examination in June, 1915. Huey was now a lawyer. Julius brought Huey back to Winnfield and took him as a partner. Huey, Rose, and Julius all lived at the old Long home here with Huey P. Long, Sr., until the partnership broke up a few months later. Later Huey had many law partners. None of these partnerships lasted very long. In 1918 Huey ran for Railroad Commissioner in 28 North Louisiana parishes. He won by the narrow margin of about 600 votes. This was Huey's first political race. I think Julius' political influence as a successful district attorney for the past six years helped Huey in his race very materially. Votes cast in a democratic primary, count for nothing, unless the returns are received by and promulgated by the Secretary of State, before the deadline date after the election. Scores of boxes over the district in rural areas sent no returns to the Secretary of State, but locked the tally sheets up in the ballot boxes. In order to get these tally sheets out of the ballot boxes, it required a court order to open the ballot boxes and get sent on to the Secretary of State. Most of these missing precincts were where Huey had run strong. Without them reporting, it looked like Huey might lose out to his opponent, Burke Bridges. Here Julius helped save the day. He secured the help of the other district attorneys in the third Railroad Commissioner's district, in getting court orders to open the ballot boxes and get the missing returns. Also helping in getting these missing returns in the mail was Julius and Huey's uncle, Albert Long, who rode day and night to the parish court houses, seeing that the court orders were carried out. In 1920, Julius declined to run for re-election as district attorney. Instead he ran for district judge against his former political ally, Judge Cas Moss. In a very hot campaign and close election. Judge Moss won re-election. Julius after the election moved to Shreveport and again entered a law partnership with Huey. This partnership soon busted up like their Winnfield partnership. Since then Julius has practiced alone, confining his legal work largely to civil practice. For the past 37 years Julius has enjoyed a large practice from clients all over Louisiana west of the Mississippi River. Julius supported and worked for Huey in both is 1924 unsuccessful race for governor and again in 1928 when Huey won the governorship. When Huey was elected governor Julius sought not political favors from his brother Huey. Neither would he accept as clients any individual or business firm doing business with the State of Louisiana. To my personal knowledge, I know that Julius Long turned down some fabulous attorney's fees when Huey was governor. Julius Long never asked anything from his Long relatives in politics except to do what was right. When they have failed to do so, in his opinion, he has been quick to voice his disapproval and criticism, both in private and in public. The writer has often disagreed with Julius Long about political matters over the years but I have never questioned his sincerity and honesty. Julius Long has never compromised his integrity and belief in a principle for political expediency. Julius Long, now far on the sunset of life, is honored and respected, not only by all the legal profession in Louisiana but by the countless men and women in both high and low places who have known him. I am glad that I have known Julius Long so long and so well. I am proud that he is a friend of mine.