THE SIREN’S CALL OF NEPOTISM AND CORRUPTION

Yes this is the basis for the past and for the present. Do your research on the mayors of the city beginning with Martin Behrman, the child of immigrants and born in New York, to the present day mayor, Ray Nagin, born into a Creole family. Yes, indeed, that very term Creole is used in many, many ways. It ultimately comes down to a question of family lineage. Yes read about the RDO and the ward bosses. Read about the man of wealth and prominence, Thomas Semmes Walmsley, a member of the Boston Club, a rival of Huey Long. Attacked by Long, Walmsley supported by the elite of New Orleans Society and the city’s political machine, attacked back. Walmsley later passed an ordinance banning the spread of "anarchistic, communistic, or radical doctrines" in New Orleans. He also fired almost two thousand black city employees by enforcing a Jim Crow law banning the employment of non-voters. Walmsley's term as mayor continued an alliance between the city's social and economic elite and the city's most powerful political machine. Owing his political success to his membership in the Old Regular machine's Choctaw Club, Walmsley benefited from their ability to turn out votes and dispense patronage. Yes the fight between Long and Walmsley was bitter and it showed that the votes of the citizens really did not matter once you were in power. The battle would be between the elected and their cronies.
When Walmsley resigned, he was succeeded by Robert Maestri. Read about this man, with a third grade educate, who amassed a fortune, who became mayor with the support of good old Huey’s cronies support. Yes Huey had been assassinated by this time. Maestri did recreate the city’s structure but he did use a system of patronage that would continue into his second term. The second term was different in the manner in which he governed but the corruption and favoritism that already characterized his administration grew even further. Deals with mobsters resulted in the expansion of gambling and prostitution. This brought forth a different person, a reformer by the name of DeLessepes Story Morrison, Sr. into the mayor’s office.
While Morrison did much he also used patronage and corruption as part of his governance. After his election Morrison quickly built his own political organization, the Crescent City Democratic Association. Modeling itself on the Old Regular system of ward and precinct captains, the CCDA began finding its supporters jobs in City Hall and in municipal construction contracts. Morrison also faced the issue of integration in a typical political manner – doing little. Morrison’s lack of action stemmed from his political need to avoid alienating black supporters while at the same time retaining a segregationist stance. His error was that in failing to stop the hatred and violence he would create the beginning of the hatred and mistrust that would create the collapse of his beloved city of New Orleans. Morrison would never gain the governor’s mansion, yet he would be given a federal position. However, his stay in office as mayor was besieged by issues of nepotism and corruption. The game of politics was played. Yes the story will continue. However, the story would begin to extend further and further into issues that would create more than just corruption and nepotism but also the issue of hatred. The basis as noted above. Today I end with a quote from Booker T. Washington – “I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.” It is unfortunate that these words of Mr. Washington are not taken seriously by so many. In this city the hatred is based on one issue alone – ethnic background