Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1904-09-27
LAFOLLETTE
AND WISCONSIN
From The Ludington Record
AppeaI.

Appeal.
The struggle for direct nominations
now going On liz Michigan is being
paTalleled in Wisconsin. Our twin
state is in the more advanced posi-
tion, in the more acute stages and
therefore is attracting the more
general attention. Golfers Weekly
recently gave its pages to statement
by Governor LaFollette himself and
the October McClures is out now with
an article on the situation across the
water. These things all go to show
that the struggle for fuller, completer,
more perfect expression of the
popular will is one stage of national
evolution, that we are in state Of
revolution if not stage of evolution
that each incident is so meaningful as
to attract national attention. Mr..
Steffen's article ia McClures is so
interesting we give resume.
"Lincoln Steffen's story OF the state
of Wisconsin is the story Of Governor
LaFollette. Here is a governor who
is really the head of his state. Through
him the people have beaten the cor
rupt system and restored representa-
tive government. But it has been a
long and bitter struggle, and today is
perhaps at its fiercest point"
Mr.. Steffens gives an excellent
sketch of LaFollette and 'LaFollet-
teism,' the men and issues of the
hour in Wisconsin. In this state he
finds that for years the corrupt
system of the corporations controlled
its federal, state and municipal
governments for the benefit of special
interests, opposed to public interest.
Inspite of the system, opposed by the
Republican party machine at every
step, Robert LaFollette became
states attorney, congressman and
governor. He has constantly fought
the reorganization" the system. and
by making his appeal direct to the
people he has won.
Yet LaFollette's victory has been
far from complete. His opponents
have been able to prevent the enact
ment of the reform legislation he has
championed. His efforts to secure
the passage of a primary election law,
equality on taxation and railway
rates have failed, although his party
has incorporated these measures in its
platform and has bad an overwhelm-
ing majority in the legislature. The
special interests have been able to
block every important reform move
the governor has made, and now seek
his final defeat by splitting his party
and aiding the Democrats.
Admitting for the sake of argument
that there may be flaws in LaFol-
lette's administrative record, even in
the man himself, Mr.. Steffens points
out the essential fact that the fight 10
Wisconsin is for self-government, not
"good'' government: it is fight to
establish government representative
of all the people. "Given that; re-
move from control the Big Business
and Bad Politics that corrupt all
branches of the. government, and
"good" government will come easily
enough. But Big Business and Bad
Politics are hard to beat"
Thus the fundamental issue in Wis
consin, as elsewhere, lies deep. But
Mr.. Steffens says that the people of
Wisconsin, educated by their long
war, are politically intelligent, ''as
intelligent as the citizenship of
Illinois," and he believes they are to
be trusted. And here is the vital
point in the whole discussion of
Wisconsin,; for, no matter how men
may differ about Grovernor LaFollette
otherwise, his long, hard fight has
developed citizenship in the state
honest, reasonable, intelligent citizen
ship. And that is better than 'busi-
ness" That is what business and
government are for-men.'