Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-01-25
SENATORIAL TIMBER.
Why Judge Webb Is Deemed In.
eligible.
sTEPHEysON's FIFTEEN MILLIONS.

~ MtLkAAVANs
Cooks Famous Handshake-The Eie CANT
Quaries and the Hnstling Babcot k
Ex-senator Villas on roung Men-His
Preciseaess aud .Caution-yigorous Tax
Reform and Official Sanction of Railroad
Honesty.
Madison, Jan. 24.--All the five can
hidates for the senate have been head
faartering at the Park hotel (the prop
erty of Senator Villas, by the way), ex-
cept Judge Webb. That gentleman be-
Ing too modest to put in political work
while he is circuit judge. Senator
kreutzer, the young lawyer from Wau-
sau, and other friends have been doing
the work of the Grand Rapids candi-
date. Judge Webb is a man of go and
in many ways is the supremely-
equipped candidate of the five.
But the fact is, some of the most con-
scientious members of the legislator"
regarded his going to Washington as
an invasion of the constitution of the
state. Senator KreutZer in nominating
Judge Webb said truly that Congress
man Cate and United States Senator
Dooiittle many years ago were taken
from the bench to go to Washington
and he cited decisions which make it
altogether likely that Judge Webb could
be elected to the senate and take his
seat without successful resistance from
| anybody.
But granted that he could, the fol-
! lowing provision in the Wisconsin con-
| stitution leaves it clear that the ia
| theirs of the commonwealth never in
| tended our judges should dip into poll
| tics under any conditions. After fixing
| their salaries it says:
| They tsupreme and circuit judges
shall hold no office of pubic trust ex-
cept a judicial office. during the term
for which they are respectively elected.
and all votes for either of them, for
any office except a judicial office given
by the Legislature or the people, shall
be void"
That seems to be a clincher.
But how was it circumvented in the
| 119N VI N~dlC anu lCOoiilNlCs
Federal Government Takes Precedence.
| Because the federal constitution
| transcands state constitutions in the do
main where the former speaks; and
each house of congress is the judge of
the qualifications of its members. The
federal constitution does not shut out
state judges from either branch of con-
| gress.
The reasoning against Judge Webb
| was this: The makers of the constitu-
| ton of Wisconsin sought to shield the
| judiciary from any political entange-
ments. The efforts of lawyers (who APP
| pear constantly in causes before a
! judge to send him to the senate or
to secure him some otter political hon
| ors naturally prejudice him in their ia
vor. He would be an migrate if he did
| not ever think kindly of them; and he
| would be more than human if he could
| always eliminate that element in his
| official condG,t. Judge Webb continued
on the bench, and defeated for the SEN
ate, could never forget these half dozen
| lawyers of his circuit who at their own
expense have been in Madison for a
fortnight, neglecting their own bust
| ness and working night and day for his
| advancement. The fathers of Wiscon-
| sin saw these things and sought to
| avert them. Thus some of our legis-
lators reasoned about Judge Webb, not
| withstanding his splendid fitness for
| the senate.
said To BE Worth $15 100000.
The best campaigner of the five was
S. A. Cook of Neenah. He is tall
| quaint, awkwardly- man, and has
| a genuine press of the hand and a
| friendly confiding word for everybody
that makes friends right and left. And
the best of it is he is genuine. Sena-
tor Martin in nominating him compared
him to Uncle Sam, conceding that he
was no beauty; and l don't know where
one could find a more typical American
for a fact, than Cook. He has a lot
of the Yankees shrewdness and his
eternal persistence made him a great
success in congress in getting things
through to a finish. He is wel-to-do
business man, though Stephenson and
Babcock are the plutocrats of the con-
| test. There is a wide difference in
| their resources, however. One of Bah
cocks friends says he is worth prob
ably 5000, 000-made in the lumber bust
| ness, while the Marquette statesman is
styled the wealthiest man in the state
| and is rated in the neighbOrhood OF
| $4,000 600 He employs $500 men in the
| busy season. Stephenson is tall mar
with long whiskers. his hair coming
| down to his coat collar and turning al
the ends. When he first came to the
| legislature years ago his neglect OF
dress and unc0nventi"..cl manners made
him the subject of many a jest; but he
has put on polish since then.
The Elegant milwaukee, Man.
Quarles is the handsome man of the
| quintette-dashing, in fact, with iron
gray hair and a manner imperious
softened into urbanity. He would he a
| conspicuous man in any company. His
trong point is his oratory. He is rec
Jgnized as the most polished speaker
in the state, as shown by his choice fol
the semi-centennial address; though, OF
course, for some kinds of effective work
| Senator Spooner or Bob" La Toilette
| could distance him. Mr. Quarles has a
| brother in his law firm who is acknowl-
| edged to be quicker than 10" and
deeper AS the candidate humorously
| puts &c: Il do the heap much talk
| and Charles takes care of the office
Mr. Quarles is a very persuasive and
| convincing talker before a jury. He
has three sons. the oldest young man
in the law office; and the gossips say
one of the many in the train of the
lovely Marinette girl who christened the
battleship at San Francisco.
Some Stories of w. +. Villas.
Villas &c oI1iaf ObCprVpY
of all that goes on abou, him, and
expect is much pleased at the mani
festo of Boss" Wall of Milwaukee, tC
the effect that 10 to /" is dead, and
| that if it is rasurrected as an issue in
1900, Democracy may count him out
Wall stayed with his party in 1895
though his corp ration connections and
general habits made him averse to the
free silver propaganda, but he will have
no more of it.
The drift of events simply proves
| what ex-senator Villas is understood
to believe, that the disrupted party Will
| get together again.
We have no more genial citizen than
the ex-senator; and his conversation is
douby interesting. in that it bristles
with touches OF Washington life and
| largely of affairs. showing the habit Of
his thought. He has the facts of his
tory at command as shown in a retort
| when some Madison people called on
| him to urge him to join in the recon-
| mendation of Professor jerome Ray
nond of the state university to be presi-
| Dent of the University of West Virginia
But, ne is too young" said the sena-