Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-21
WISCONSIN, MIDDLE
Interest in It at Democratic
Headquarters.
OPTIMISTIC VIEWS
BELIEVE FIVE CONGRESSMAN
CAN BE GAINED.
Will Make Big Effort to Defeat Rep
resentative Babcock-May
Win the State

At the headquarters Of the democratic
congressional campaign committee in this
city Chairman Cowherd and his associates
are watching with grim satisfaction the
widening breach between the two factions
OF the republican party in Wisconsin. The
democrats believe that present conditions
rortend the possible election of five demo-
cratic representatives in the next House
from the badger state. The harder the
La Toilette faction Is thumped at the chi
cago convention. the brighter grow the
prospects of democratic victory in several
OF the Wisconsin congressional districts
There is steadily increasing talk that the
La Toilette wing OF the party will throw
the state to the democratic column. In
this the congressional committee has but
a collateral interest. OF first importance
to Representative Cowherd is the POSSIBLE
lty of increasing the democratic representa-
ton in the House.
The turn down of Gov. La Follette's dele
cation by the republican national commit
tee to be followed by d second blow at the
ne nos or convention committee creden-
tails. has embittered the friends of the
younger executive. who claim regularity
for their wing of the party. The "bolters,"
headed by Senators SpOoner and Quarles
and Representative J. w. Babcock have
so far been laden with bouquets and re-
ceived with open arms at Chicago
The democrats are of the opinion that the
republican leaders have gone far in their
display of enmity toward the Wisconsin
state organization controlled by La
toilette as to invite disaster at the polls
In that state next November. The past
success of La Toilette indicates that he is
rot man to be trifled with. The demo-
Gratis will make all the political capital pos
slbie out of the split and believe that with
the proper candidates in the field they can,
In five of the eleven congressional dis
trtcts OF Wisconsin. elect members of the
House of Representatives.
Only One Democrat Now.
There Is now one democratic member Of
the delegation. Representative Charles H.
Weisse of Sheboygan Falls. In four other
districts the present republican candidates
are stalwarts and as such are objects Of
greater antipathy to the La Toilette follow
ing than mere democrats would be. The
democrats. by the way, have sagaciously
RETAINED from nominating men in the four
districts where they believe they have bet
ter than an ordinary fighting chance for
success. They believe that by waiting and
watching they will be able to bring for
ward the right men at the right time, men
calculated to command the undivided SUD-
port of the democrats and at the same
time to draw votes from the La Toilette
republicans.
Whether or not the La Toilette faction
carries out the threat of putting a separate
set of presidential electors in the field next
November. the democrats are of the opinion
that the feeling against Mr.. Babcock and
the other "stalwart" candidates for Con-
gress will be so strong as to result in OPP
posing republicans or an Endorsement of the
democratic candidates.
The democrats are hopeful of success in
the third district. represented by Mr.. Bah
cock: in the fourth, represented by Theo-
bold Often: In the fifth. represented by VIM
H. Stafford. and In the ninth district, rep
resented by Edward s. Minor. Messrs.
Babcock. Often. Stafford and Minor are all
opposed to La Toilette, and between them
and his wing Of the party the battle looks
like a desperate one.
Primarily the democrats hope for sue
cess in Mr.. Babcocks district, He has been
one of the most prominent factors in the
"stalwart' division of the party, and the
political enmity existing between him and
Mr.. La Toilette Is a matter of wide knowl-
edge Two years ago Mr.. Babcock had a
plurality of more than 5000 votes, but
despite this overwhelming natural repub-
lican majority in the district, the demo-
Gratis believe the disaffection among the
republicans Is so great as to permit Of the
election of democrat. Mr.. Babcock in
1902 received 10, 405 votes to 11155 cast for
Jackson Slbaugh, his democratic opponent.
Local Interest in Babcock's Fight.
Local interest will center largely In the
fight which Mr.. Babcock will make for he.
as chairman Of the House committee on
widely known throughout the capital city.
Mr.. Babcock owns a handsome home in
this city, and In the ordinary course of
political circumstances would be looked
upon as fixture in Congress so long as
he wished to remain.
There was bitter fight made against his
denomination this spring. but he won out
handsomely in that contest. 1t is realized
however, that the La Toilette trouble has
increased many fold since that time and
that conditions really m in
the state tina the party managers would
like to admit. AS chairman of the repub-
Hcan congressional campaign committee,
Mr.. Babcock will have all the assistance
his party and associates can lend him in
the coming campaign.
In the other districts where the DEM
oorats will make a bold fight their pros
poets of victory, judged from the election
figures of 1902 appear to be brighter than
in Mr.. Babcock's home counties
A very slight detection In the fourth dis
trict would result in the defeat of Mr..
Often. At the last election he received
15101 votes, as against IL, 46S cast for his
den ocratic opponent, John F. Donivan. Mr..
Otjens plurality was but 1888. If second
republican should enter the field In this
district backed up by La Toilette. the fight
would be mighty close and interesting.
In the fifth district Representative STAFF
ford was elected to the Ftfty-eighth Con-
in the ninth district Mr.. Minor had plur-
alty of 4,479.
1t is stated that there Is no doubt but
that Mr.. Weisse. the democratic member Of
the delegation. will succeed himself al
though until his election In 1902 the sixth
district had been republican stronghold,
giving Mckinley heavy plurality. The
first time he ran Mr.. Weisse was himself
defeated by more than 5000 votes. 1t will
thus be seen that wholesale changes Of
opinion are not without precedent in the
badger state.