The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-06-14
OUR MADISON LETTER
Administration of LaFoilette Is
Strengthening Itself by
Changes.
DAY ORAL SCHOOLS AN ISSUE
Reason Given for Prof. SWiler'S Re-
tirement-What Is the Clever
BabcOck Up To?

w 49,, uIlc IL lC lCSlo-
Iature has gone home and not until
next summer are there more political
conventions; nevertheless there is Il
good deal of political talk. Changes
among the office-hOlders are going on
and it is clear that Governor La
Toilette is putting only friends ION
guard SO obvious is this that the
Oshkosh Northwestern, one of his
StauncheSt supporters, cautions the adj
miniStration against calling down the
rebuke of civil service refOrmers. The
defense made is that the governor is
fighting a strenuous opposition and the
only way to overcome them is to
fight fire with fire. There is a good
deal of talk of harmony, and a
close observer will note that federal
OfficehOlders, as a rule up to high
officials at WashingtOn-ther are
some eXceptiOnS-men who wish
to carve Il gulf between the
factions and to start a fight to
defeat LaFOllette for renOmina
tiOn now; but the rule indicated
holds. The Milwaukee contingent, how
ever, declares for war, and, to offset
them there are some, the LaFOllette
editors, who yield to none in denOunc-
ing their opponents and threats to eat
them up. In looking over the state
press it is amazing to see how many
of the influential papers are operated
by editors who have official cOnnec-
tiOnS. The law is not the only stepping
stone to political preferment. Young
man, get to own an influential neWSpa-
per and put up a lightning rod
Case of Prof. swiler, Delavan.
The board of control about June 1
Informed Superintendent J. w. Swiler
of the Delavan School for the Deaf
that he would not be reappointed and
the incident has attracted much inter-
est, as he is cOnfessedly a strong man.
The announcement was a surprise to
Professor SWiler.
The school is in most excellent cOndi-
ton in every department, the grounds
and buildings are in first class repair,
never before so good as now; the
teachers and employees with the officers
of his household are all efficient and
loyal; he has the love and respect of
all the pupils and they would do any
thing for him, and he is conscious of
nothing in his own record that should
set the board against him.
All that can be secured from the
board of control is that Superintendent
SWiler'S attitude in relation to pure
oral day schools, and his antagOnism
to them, made it seem necessary that
SWiler should go, and some one else
OF less decided views on that subject
be secured to carry on the work at
DelaVan. He was set down as ire
cOncilable, without any conference to
consider the question.
A friend says superintendent Swiler
has not favored small day schools in
all portions of the state, nor encOur-
agement of the perniciOuS system of
boarding children among strangers or
in boarding houses without careful
supervision, such as the state gives at
Delavan. He has not actively OBJ
posed day schools nor interfered with
them, as their rapid spread shows. The
cause given for superintendent SWil-
crs retirement is not regarded as COM
plete; likely enough there may be
politics coming. Superintendent SWil-
er has been a Republican, but not a
party worker He will soon be 81
years old and has been engaged in in
StitutiOn life for thirty-fOur years. For
tWenty-One years he has given Wis
cOnSin good service in the work of
training the deaf. During his term of
office there has never been the slight
est impUt0tion Of anything dishonor-
able in its management. 40 scandal, no
INSTRUMENTATION, no epidemic and 10
accident Of sufficient Importance to be
at all out OF the common run Of human
experience.
Bal cocks Tariff Smashing Proposal.
The interest in Congressman Bah
cocks tariff proposition will not abate.
The eastern papers are still excited
and the official protection Journals very
indignant. MIR. B0bcock's term c0ntin-
ueS until March i, 1908, but he can be
dropped from the ways and means
committee OF the house next Deem
Der, although it is said that Speaker
Henderson is in sympathy with him as
to dropping tariff duties on trust made
articles. There is also an effort to de-
pose him from the very important posi-
ton OF chairman OF the National Re
publican congressional committee Of
course the free traders are much
pleased with BaDcOck's attitude His
blow is said to be aimed at the Morgan
$1,000, 100000 steel trust. Certainly on
BaDcOCk basis steel products will be
admitted to this country free. The pro-
tectlVe journals say that such a reviS-
ion of the tariff would take away
protection from nearly every industry
in the country, and that while it would
not smash a single trust it would
wreck thousands of independent in
dustrial establishments not identified
with any trust"
Congressman Babcock is a ShreWd
politician, in all probability he reads
the signs of the times, certainly in his
district. The people are getting ex-
cited and he proposes to stand with
them. Hitherto Mr.. BabcOck has not
been regarded as one of the working
mans friend" type OF statesman In
deed he has been good deal criticised
for his utilization with wealth. being
rich man himself However, "Bab''
is in popular vein now in his effort
to clip the wings of the trusts. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether it is another
case of fearing the Greeks even though
they bear gifts.
Librarians National Congress.
Within twenty-five years the Nation
al Librarians association has built up
oINO,,e Ii IF