The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1902-01-31
Burnett" Says Both Republican
Factions Are Weak at
Points.
AN ESTIMATE OF WHITEHEAD
Strong, just, and Proud-Eleventh
Story His Handicap-LaFOl-
Iette's Record Defective.

Whitehead does i OF discourage the Pc
titions circulate" =, for him, it is as
sumed by many he will surely accept.
His friends diner as to the wisdom
CT the step. Some think he better
strike while the iron is hot, for the
not come his way again-they come
this time only because they must have
q star of the first magnitude. Others
reason that another term in the SEN
ate will strengthen him with the peO-
pie, when he can run independent of
the Eleventh Story people, whose
Endorsement weighs him down SO seri-
iously now.
Whitehead is one Of the cleanest,
most upright and clearest- headed men
that ever got to the front in this state.
He is q mountainous man in physical
presence with that calm view of life
and things reflected in his eyes from
q gO0dly ancestry and sense of duty
persevered in from youth up. White
head would rather do his duty than
eat breakfast. He lost his wife some
dozen years ago, aud his friends say
he has never looked on the sex
since. The tradition is that it was a
peculiarly beautiful alliance, and that
the wife was encouragement to the
young lawyer with his way to make
There are two fine children-a boy
with his fathers strong forehead, at
Beloit--and n daughter. One sister,
an unmarried woman of much Qaiet
force and marked character, is at the
head of an institution for detectives in
Illinois, formerly having been at the
Mendoza asylum for many years.
Is Character Political Weakness?
Apart from the unfortunate fact
that the Milwaukee stalwartS are back
of Whitehead, the only points of at
tack seem to be his high principles
and his personality. Some of the adj
ministration papers have made the
mistake of referring to his total alb
Stinence, as if to be willing to resist
the social glass for the sake of exam
pie is to count against q man. But
quick protest from some of Governor
LaFOllette's followers have given
warning that this must be stopped.
If to be a LaFollette man one must
disapprove a legislator who voted
against a bill to legaliZe gambling at
racetracks, as did Whitehead. and
ridicule a man who prefers not to
drink, then a good many who sup
posed the issue Of 1902 to be corpor-
ate control of legislation want to take
sides intelligently.
AS a matter of fact, las governor, he
would have little or no opportunity to
apply his temperance principles.
Whitehead is SO anxious to be fair
that he cleans backward" even on
the temperance issue. Last winter.
when a reform bill to allow local op-
ton in wards Of cities was being
pressed-it never got far-one of the
temperance leaders CDR. Coleman of
milwaukee, approached Senator White
head and was told that the bill did
not strike the latter as sound, ON the
ground that the effect would be to
mass the saloons among the poor. i
do not think his reasoning was good
the plan is in favor in Indiana and
elsewhere. But the incident shows
that merely because "a movement is
labeled Temperance reform" White
head is not necessarily it's headlong
champion.