The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1904-09-29
Governor La Toilette Addresses a
Thousand People at the
Rhode Opera House.
sTALWARTS ARE ROASTED.
Governor Makes Strong Plea for His
Side of the Question and is Given
a Respectful Hearing.

A thousand people assembled at til,
Rhode Opera House last night for thu
first real political meeting of thu
year.
Governor Robert M. LaFo11ette wa.
the attraction of the evening .and h,
certainly proved better drawing
card than ever before.
It was the same old La Toilette anc
in greater part the same old speech
The old invective and satire for his
political enemies and the same meet
of maud1in praise for the men who
assisted him in his work of foistine
his pet theories upon the people oil
| the state.
| Throughout the evening there was
nothing new presented. It was the
same old story which the Governor
has threshed over for the past si1
years. Goods Patient Poor, '"Deatk
to Railways and Industries The
freight Rate Commission and Primary
election, with the same caustic abuse
for the men who had dared stand il
their places and oppose him.
| The meeting was the strangest Re.
publican meeting ever held in Ken.
osha. The crowd was an unusual one
to bear the name of Republican. !
| In the audience, which was in no way
representative of the Republican
party, were faces of men who had
| been prominent in Free Silver and
Populist movements. The crowd was
more unusual from the absence of the
men who have for years been the main
stays of the party. A few of the old
timers dropped in from curiosity and
a few Office seekers, prepared, to flop
with the ma jority, were among the
large company.
La Toilette was 1ate-awfu11ys1ate.
The strenuous trip among the farmers
seemed to have taxed his time to its
capacity. For more than half an hour
the crowd waited but the Governor
the three rings in one circus
came not. Then the crowd got noisy
and catca1ls and shouts of derision
we're heard. Along about ha1f-past
eight Attorney Norman L. Baker who
seemed to be the ring master for the
performance, got telegram from the
Governor which stated that he would
be along in fifteen minutes, and the
crowd started in to wait again. The
band played little more and the
people continued to wait.
It was nearly O'Clock when the
governor and his private secretary,
Col. John Hannah, cached the hall
and he was given a rather chilly well
come by the crowd. Attorney Baker
led the way to the platform and with
him came such men as Verne Baker,
Michael K1eist, Michael O'DonneH-
always rated as a Democrat-and a
number of others almost unknown to
political and at any rate Republican
circ1es,in Kenosha. District Attorney
Bucknaster, the chairman of the
county committee, was among the alb
sent.
Norman Baker introduced the
speaker, saying something about the
fact that Ethe governor was famous
throughout the state and nation, He
called the governor Ellis Exce11ency''
and said he needed no further intro
duction.
Then the governor started in and
stated that he was glad to be in Ke-
nosha again. 3ialV a
He launched right into the business
and took a ;shot at the. newspapers
which;had opposed his candidacy and
claimed thatDhe had been ma1igned.
He then declared Representative
government was on trial for its Mfe".
The governors some pretty sgood
things about liberty and freedom and
grew eloquent over the part that the
United States had taken in the deve1-
opmentsof this representative idea.
He sketched the growth of parties
and party government and had a little
to say about party platform. FL.
Governor La Toilette traced the his
tory of the nation, speaking of Web
ster and Lincoln.
Then he spoke Of the coming of the
railways and the new industries of
the country and the coming Gof the
corporation and the coming of the
TRUST.
The governor seemed enthused with
his subjectIand spoke for half an hour
on the corporations and corporate
power. The governor got the first
lapp1anse of the evening lwhen. he
mentioned the late Chief Justice
Ryan and his utterances in regard to
the corporations.
The pictures drawn by the gov
ernor Of the corruption in govern
ment circles created applause and
when Joe Folk of Missouri was men
toned he got more applause than
had been accorded the governor when
he entered the hall.
Governor La Toilette blamed all
the corporations to the railroad and
claimed that every combination in the
country was the child of the railway.
He spoke at length of the Standard
Oil company and the growth Of it's
different industries and declared that
within short time the Standard Oil
L