Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-07-17
TERM TALK.
Will the Opposition Seek to Block
Governor LaFol.
lette?
MADISON POLITICAL GOSSIP
Chippewa Falls Institution to Add 800
acknowledgements Tombstones
vs. Legacies 10 Philanthropy.


will put a candidate into the field Is
what everybody wants to know. Hith-
erto the feeling has been that While
the so-called stalwarts had little Love
| for the governor, they were Republic
cans, the precedent Of second term
should be respected, and, more impor-
tant, by avoiding friction over the gov
ernorship, the Spooner senatorship
could be continued with dignity and
without opposition, and thus Senator
| Spooner be in splendid condition as
respects state support to go before
the country as senatorial cad
didate This has been the plan as y
commended itself to mal.- SpcJner
men. 1t is t. modus Vivendi that |
still think W i obtain.
However. Of late, there has been
talk OF a contest In the state conven-
ton by the stalwarts. on the theory
that If no opposition is made, the La,
Palette men win not be content with
renominating the governor; but, en-
boldened by their power, will seek
to control the next Legislature at
every point and even choose a sena-
tor who shall not be Spooner. One of
the latter's friends put 1t this way:
I'VE are willing 10 allow second
term to LaFollette and il 1t was any
one else we could trust him to keep
hands off the senatorship. But the
governor Is hard hater and with
state convention made up wholly of
his supporters-we fellows lying
down from now Ont would not be
strange if the governor construed it as
! instructions from the state 10 put one
of his friends into the senate-nOt
| himself, for he has said that he was
out. 1t seems incredible and humilat-
| ing that the step should be necessary
in view of John .Spooner's standing
and prestige. but we know the gov
ernor and don't propose to be caught
mapping. We are driven to make
| fight for self-protection. There is no
disposition to rob Governor LaFollette
of second term. but we must control
the convention, or at least make a
strong showing. and with hostile SEN
timent in so many of the counties
the job will not be a great one.'
1t Would Mean New Governor.
| This is important, If true, and of
course. Ii an attempt to control TIE
convention should be successful,
magnanimity would disappear and a
new man nominated for governor. On
the other hand If the LaFollette men
downed their enemies, it might dim
| the lustre and veneration In which
Senator Spooner Is held. He ought to
be, and his followers consider him
above the clashings of sta'e fractional.
ism.
! But the step has not been deter
mined upon, and ! doubt IL 1t Is car
ried out. There may be announce
ments of candidates.. but to organize
the opposition is no easy task In the
last campaign Ii was talked about for
weeks, and there was no end of hos
tility in secret but only one man
James q. Northumberland to get out
In the open and always respected him
more for Ii. He took the eolors of
his friends up to the fort of his enemy
and shouted back brayely. Bring up
the regiment TO its eolors."
| But there wds no regiment. The
fellows who had egged him ON de-
clined to get from out the protecting
shelter of the trees, and Monahan
came back alone.
| So now ii win not be easy to dupli-
cate the administrators organization.
stalwarts have some newspapers
which they did not have IA year ago,
They have the. sentiment and some
others. and they think the "Germania"
will stand by them. They cheer them
selves by the memory of the way
Wisconsin Germans got together In
the day of the Bennett law, and some
think with sch u candidate as Secre-
1 49, We PN"AS NAOtbAASAs
could be massed again. Whether that
gentleman would consent to stand up
against the governor. does not yet APP
pear. He will merely say now. II
tm not a candidate for governor, bur
attending to the duties of my office"
| The governors friends do not see the
force OF the Bennett law parallel. as
the German nationally has no issue
against him, and he is putting their
fellow countrymen into office with
clever persistence.
| Then there is talk OF Lieutenant
Governor Stone. Congressman Esch,
and Of Senator Whitehead. 1t is q
mixed-up condition OF affairs and a
match would start confiagration.
Not a few of the IaFollette papers
and supporters are earnest for Spooner,
and any Well defined candidacy in op-
position to Speoner that could be
Identified as LaFo,lette movement
would cause fresh alignment. On
the other hand there are many who
would regard movement TO throw
down Governor IAFollette as urcalled
Tor and petty factionalism. as a blow
/ at tax reform and ,,1,,,t.>a.t