1935: Huey P. Long - "The St. Vitus Dance Government" Radio Address (NBC)

Historic NBC radio address by Huey P. Long, delivered from Washington, D.C., on May 2, 1935. In this nationally broadcast speech, titled "The St. Vitus Dance Government," Long launches one of his fiercest attacks on the policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and presents a detailed defense of his famous Share Our Wealth program. Speaking only a few months before his assassination, Long argues that America's economic crisis was caused by the extreme concentration of wealth and that the nation required immediate redistribution of fortunes and incomes to prevent social collapse. The speech stands as one of the most important political broadcasts of the Great Depression and offers a vivid example of Long's populist oratory and growing national influence. 00:00 - Historical Context and Introduction 00:25 - The St. Vitus Dance Government 03:40 - Critique of President Roosevelt's Fishing Trip and Broken Promises 07:45 - The Economic Crisis and Wealth Distribution 11:14 - The Concentration of Wealth 18:36 - Critique of Media and Wealth Distribution 21:31 - Share Our Wealth Program and Biblical Justification 25:36 - The Divine Mandate for Wealth Redistribution and Debt Relief Key moments featured in this broadcast: "The St. Vitus Dance Government" • Long mocks Roosevelt's New Deal policies, comparing them to the uncontrollable movements of St. Vitus' Dance, arguing that federal programs had become chaotic, wasteful, and directionless. Criticism of Roosevelt's Fireside Address • Long attacks Roosevelt's recent national radio speech and ridicules the President's analogy comparing national recovery to the construction of a ship. He particularly criticizes Roosevelt's fishing trip aboard the yacht Normahall, portraying it as evidence that the administration was out of touch with ordinary Americans. The concentration of wealth • Citing government reports and newspaper investigations, Long argues that a tiny percentage of Americans controlled most of the nation's wealth while millions lived in poverty. He contends that this economic imbalance caused the Great Depression and threatened the future of American democracy. The Share Our Wealth program • Long outlines his proposals: • A guaranteed homestead worth at least approximately $5,000 for every family. • A cap on large fortunes, generally around $5 million. • A minimum annual family income. • Old-age pensions. • Free higher education for qualified students. • Payment of veterans' bonuses. • Limits on excessive inheritances and incomes. These proposals formed the basis of the rapidly growing Share Our Wealth movement, which by 1935 claimed millions of supporters nationwide. Biblical justification • Throughout the address, Long repeatedly cites passages from the Bible, including the books of Acts, Micah, Proverbs, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, arguing that wealth redistribution and debt relief were consistent with Christian principles. "Every man a king" • The speech concludes with Long's famous populist slogan: "None shall be too rich and none too poor… Every man a king." This phrase became the defining motto of the Share Our Wealth movement and one of the most recognizable political slogans of the Great Depression. Historical significance: By early 1935, Huey Long had become one of the most powerful and controversial figures in American politics. His Share Our Wealth clubs claimed millions of members and posed a serious political challenge to President Roosevelt's re-election prospects in 1936. Historians generally agree that Long's growing popularity influenced the Roosevelt administration's adoption of more ambitious social reforms, including elements of the 1935 Social Security program and other New Deal initiatives. "The St. Vitus Dance Government" speech captures Long at the height of his national prominence - combining economic statistics, biblical references, humor, and fierce political attacks into one of the most memorable radio addresses of the Depression era. This historic NBC broadcast preserves one of the final major national speeches of Huey P. Long before his assassination later that year and remains an essential document of American populism during the Great Depression. Subscribe for more historic radio broadcasts, political speeches, and rare recordings from the twentieth century. #HueyLong #ShareOurWealth #GreatDepression #OldTimeRadio #AmericanHistory