The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1902-06-27
MINOR STATE OFFICES.
II LaFotlette Is Renominated Will
Staiwarts Get Any
Places?
THE TALK ABOUT BOLTING
If SpOoner Wishes to Return to SEN
ate, Party Can Be Held Together
-Carnivals and the Like.

! Madison, WIS, June Z4.-lue hep
lcan state convention draws near
! July 16. In the meantime, the vari-
Gus counties are holding their eau
!, cuses and conventions. 1t is clear to
| me that unless something unexpected
| occurs (by which is meant some coup
of a legal or bolt nature) Governor
| LaFollette will go into the campaign
| with a second formal Endorsement of
! the party. Thus far he has had the
! best of the fight. 1t will be interest
| ing to see what Milwaukee county
does on next Friday. The big city
| land county, has 146 delegates. The
State Journal estimate gives the gov
| ernor but thirty of them and some
claim double that number, but it looks
| as if LaFOllette did not need any from
| Milwaukee. The Lacrosse caucuses
July 1 will attract especial interest,
| though the likelihood is the issue will
be fairly we'll determined before that
time.
The stalwarts confess some disap-
| pointment. Some have hopes. One is
Prince Charming may come out Of
the west The ex-governor, unlike Up
ham, did not lay down the scepter
with philOsophic mind Scofield did
| not want to leave the office, and espe-
cially was it rasping to leave it to La
| Toilette, who made the unwarranted
| effort of 1898 to succeed him. Ex-Gov-
| ernor Scofeld made a success of his
| post and came to enjoy it's power and
| sweets. He recognized that he him
self had some rather unusual traits
of availability and fitness for office,
and both as to the United States sena-
torship, which Mr.. Quarles got, and
as to third term, he deemed himself a
very likely target At times this hope
grew into a feverish expectancy. And
SO it is not strange the stalwarts, who
are desperately casting about for q
gate Of hope, have found Scofield re-
| SpOnsive. 1t is not very compliment
tary Or loyal to Whitehead to allow
| this filtration going on in the next
pew, but everybody is saying brazenly
| Il amt making no gOO-goo eyes"
The hope is that Scofield can get an
Endorsement in some counties as Doug
las (Superior), where LaFollette would
get it if it were Whitehead VS.. LaFol-
lette. But it is a perilous game, for
the Scofield delegates, finding the eX-
Governor is only fifth Wheel might
as readily turn to LaFollette as any
where else-and if the band was play
ing at the time, perhaps quicker.
| Senator Whitehead is conducting
himself with his usual dignity and Sc
renity. Whatever happens to him in
this present game he will be in train
ing for important work in the next leg
| islature and for promotion later.
| For Minor State Offices.
Candidates for the minor places on
the state ticket are lining up and get
ting their names into the papers. If
there is any talent or modest merit of
! this sort called out" these days, I
don't know where to look for it. Each
man pushes himself, gets all the noto-
riety and advertising he can, and in
short toots his own horn to a finish. 1t
is repellant system when you come
| to think of it-tne theory of office as
an honor is it's free gift compelled by
the merit of the man; and yet the man
is the fellow who Jacks up his con-
tempOraries to make the free gift.
More than this the immodest thing
works the machinery in full view of
everybody.
Good men get into the game. 1t is
the only way to get office under our
system and some men want office for
the salary, (Which is legitimate and
others because it is lever to achieve
good things (Which is also virtuous), so
| they must get into the same under
present rules.
But to revert to the rest of the tick
ct" If Governor LaFollette is renom-
mated, it Will be wise in him to secure
representation or the ticket for both
factions. Every wise man, after a po-
litical battle is over, hasten to bind
to himself every element of strength
| This harmony" programme is COM
mon enough in politics but the present
fight is so peculiarly bitter that some
have doubted whether this familiar
breach-healing device would be at
tempted this year.
The fact is that many of the candi-
dates are careful to avoid offending
either faction and when the convention
is well on they will claim friends ir-
| respective of faction The LaFollette
delegates will claim the right of indie
pendent action as to the minor places