Quotes About Huey Long's Politics

I think he came to the conclusion, uniquely among our politicians, that you could not do the good that he wanted to do, with the services that he wanted to deliver, and to free people from the exploitation as he wanted to: you cannot do that in a Democracy...so that, Long, in my judgment ultimately despaired of Democracy and turned to the rather dictatorial methods that he used in the later years of his life
—interviewee on the PBS special about Huey Long.

I represent the good citizens of Louisiana.  We are tired of the rule in our state of a dictator.  We feel that it is time for this dictatorial business to end.  We feel that Huey P. Long has controlled our state long enough, and he does not have the interest of our people at heart.  He is a selfish dictator, and we will fight and fight, and we want him dead politically but not dead physically.
—interviewee on the PBS special about Huey Long.  Long was eventually assassinated.  

You look around and you see what is happening, you can see the sudden social goods being done—being delivered—but this is true of all authoritarian states.  Mussolini or Hitler, or anybody else...they all do that.  You cannot have a tyranny without a paying-off for it.
—interviewee on the PBS special about Huey Long.

He became as close to a dictator as anyone in the United States.  He stole.  He used force against his opponents.  He destroyed local government in the state of Louisiana.  He motto was “everyman a king,” but only one man wore a crown.
—interviewee on the PBS special about Huey Long.

...you could say Mussolini made the trains run on time, Mussolini made the trains clean: are you for Mussolini?
—interviewee on the PBS special about Huey Long.

Is local government always better?

I used to think so, and while I haven't changed my mind, I am wondering...

(a)  What if you took into account monitoring and reporting of government activities by interest groups?  The primary bulwark against corruption.  Suppose you have a federal government charged with detecting and curbing environmental pollution.  This is one branch of government who must coordinate its efforts across a vast collection of regions, political districts, and people.  However, it is relatively easy for environmental interest groups (and, say, libertarian groups concerned that the power to mitigate pollution is being abused) to hone in on this one organization and criticize it brutally in the public arena.
     Now suppose each U.S. county is charged with detecting and curbing environmental pollution.  Wouldn't it be hard for interest groups to observe the tens of thousands of government agencies, and wouldn't it be impossible for an interest group to form in each U.S. county?  Wouldn't the county-level agencies be easier to corrupt?
(b)  Now let me ask you whether local or federal government is more inclined towards corruption?  What is your impression?  Can the wealthy and corrupt better control a city council, or a federal agency?
(c)  One final question: take examples of undeniable political corruption in the U.S., and ask yourself whether that power was wielded at the local or national level?  There is only one person in the U.S. I believe was a de facto dictator: Huey Long, in Louisiana (as portrayed by the character Willie Starks in the movie All The King's Men).  This guy exploited the pauperism of Louisiana citizens during the Great Depression and had almost the entire state in his hands.  Nothing of the sort has emerged at the national level, that I know of, at least.  Certainly, if FDR could have acquired Long's power, he would have.  But he was watched and attacked by too many people to be so corrupt.

Just a thought...