Changes

In his memoirs  ''Peapatch Politics: The Earl Long Era in Louisiana Politics,'' Dodd described Clements accordingly:​

In his memoirs  ''Peapatch Politics: The Earl Long Era in Louisiana Politics,'' Dodd described Clements accordingly:​

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He had a strong resonant voice, was an imposing figure of a man, and used words and phrases in his speech (I say ''speech'', for he used the same speech with very slight changes for forty years) that were almost musical. His prose was as good as that of (orator) Robert G. Ingersoll or [[William Jennings Bryan]]. Any politician . . . who arrived at a meeting while Ernest was speaking immediately knew how long he had been on the platform and how much longer he would speak.<br>The straitlaced Ernest never looked at a woman except his wife [Irene R. Woods "Rene" Clements (1898-1971)], who was seventeen days his senior]; he was a teetotaler, didn't gamble, and [like [[U.S. Representative]] Otto Ernest Passman (1900-1998) of Louisiana's 5th congressional district, then based about [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], didn't like to hear vulgar stories or words. He was what we called a square. Ernest's sterling traits made him a prime target for jokes and pranks, for he took himself very seriously.

He had a strong resonant voice, was an imposing figure of a man, and used words and phrases in his speech (I say ''speech'', for he used the same speech with very slight changes for forty years) that were almost musical. His prose was as good as that of Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) or [[William Jennings Bryan]]. Any politician . . . who arrived at a meeting while Ernest was speaking immediately knew how long he had been on the platform and how much longer he would speak.<br>The straitlaced Ernest never looked at a woman except his wife [Irene R. Woods "Rene" Clements (1898-1971)], who was seventeen days his senior]; he was a teetotaler, didn't gamble, and [like [[U.S. Representative]] Otto Ernest Passman (1900-1998) of Louisiana's 5th congressional district, then based about [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], didn't like to hear vulgar stories or words. He was what we called a square. Ernest's sterling traits made him a prime target for jokes and pranks, for he took himself very seriously.

Earl used Ernest to lambast and blackguard former Governor [[Sam Houston Jones|Sam Jones]], who was our main opponent in the 1948 governor's race. And since Jones and Ernest were from the same section of southwest Louisiana and had been classmates, but not friends, from college days, Ernest enjoyed his role as the hatchet man in 1948.<ref name=bdodd/></blockquote>​

Earl used Ernest to lambast and blackguard former Governor [[Sam Houston Jones|Sam Jones]], who was our main opponent in the 1948 governor's race. And since Jones and Ernest were from the same section of southwest Louisiana and had been classmates, but not friends, from college days, Ernest enjoyed his role as the hatchet man in 1948.<ref name=bdodd/></blockquote>​

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Dodd also recalled how Clements used an anecdote about a "poor 89-year-old French lady" who got her "old-age pension" check from the Jones administration, and it was not the $30 promised at all, but a mere 25 cents.​

Dodd also recalled how Clements used an anecdote about a "poor 89-year-old French lady" who got her "old-age pension" check from the Jones administration, and it was not the $30 promised at all, but a mere 25 cents.​ Dodd said that Clements was jealous of Dodd because Clements, eleven years Dodd's senior, was not having quite as much upward mobility in politics as Dodd seemed to be having at the time. They were both from Allen Parish; Clements, from the parish seat in Oberlin and Dodd, from Oakdale, though Dodd was a native of Texas and grew up in Sabine Parish in western Louisiana. "It hurt his ego, for me, an outsider, to have gotten ahead of him," Dodd said.​<ref name=bdodd/>

Dodd said that Clements was jealous of Dodd because Clements, eleven years Dodd's senior, was not having quite as much upward mobility in politics as Dodd seemed to be having at the time. They were both from Allen Parish; Clements, from the parish seat in Oberlin and Dodd, from Oakdale, though Dodd was a native of Texas and grew up in Sabine Parish in western Louisiana. "It hurt his ego, for me, an outsider, to have gotten ahead of him," Dodd said.​<ref name=bdodd/>

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Dodd recalled on a road trip that he, Clements, and others took to Winnsboro in Franklin Parish south of Monroe. Dodd said that Clements was "lecturing us on the evil effects of drinking (we had drunk a beer) and the dangers of fooling around with loose women, particularly during political campaigns. He used his long and successful career in politics free off drinking, womanizing, [[gambling]], and other sins, as he called them, to emphasize the value of abstinence, which he equated with success."​<ref name=bdodd/>

Dodd recalled on a road trip that he, Clements, and others took to Winnsboro in Franklin Parish south of Monroe. Dodd said that Clements was "lecturing us on the evil effects of drinking (we had drunk a beer) and the dangers of fooling around with loose women, particularly during political campaigns. He used his long and successful career in politics free off drinking, womanizing, [[gambling]], and other sins, as he called them, to emphasize the value of abstinence, which he equated with success."​<ref name=bdodd/>