Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1904-11-03
Chicago Tribune Presents
the Situation as
It Is.
MEASURES THAT MEAN MUCH
Will Make the State Greater
Than the Rail.
roads.

In his great fight for representative
government and proper regulation of
the railroad rates Governor LaFollette
has won the admiration and respect
OF the best citizenship Of the coun-
try. The leading journals and ma ga
zines of this country have strapped
his platform with approval, and thou.
sands have been made acquainted with
| gle in this state. The Chicago Tri-
bune one Of the most conservative
and ably edited newspapers of this
| country. tells what ''LaFolletteism"
| really is. 1t is worth reading, so
strongly and tersely is it presented.
The Tribune says:
when you ask Wisconsin stall
wart why railways should not be taxed
he tells you that I.aFollette Is a dema
gogue. When you want to know why
a direct primary law would not be q
good thing he explains that LaFollette
is ambitious. The moral excuses
which led to this pitiable mental col
lapse are recounted by Mr. Steffens in
the current McClure's.
What LaFollette is fighting in Wis
consin is THE System The Sys-
tenn consists OF big business dove
tailed and mortised into politics. 1t
is II substitute for representative gov
eminent. 1t is what matte ii possible
for Golfers Weekly to say that Wis
consin was governed by four railways.
Naturally the only way in which
the stalwarts can defend The System
is by attacking its attackers. To say
that the railroads should not be taxed
and that the voters should not nomi-
nate their own candidates for office
would require more courage than can
be found west of Philadelphia
What the Issues Are just Now
I'm 1898 the Republican pal I'm
Wisconsin rejected LaFoIlette foik lsov-
ernor, but adopted the FoletttA1at-
form. 1t thereupon stood pledged 10
railway taxation and to direct pri-
marics, 1t accomplished neither. 1t
preferred to repudiate its pledge.
this kind nominated LaFolctte in 1900
and elected him. Railway taxation
and direct primaries now had gov
ernor as well ms a legislature. But
they did not have barrel. All through
the succeeding session the barrel
flowed. Legislators bought railway
land at nominal prices. They also
Were offered lucrative positions They
also played poker with lobbyists and
won, Then they adjourned with the
pledge of the Republican party again
repudiated.
'Whereupon the people Of Wisconsin
reelected I.aFollette in 1902. And La
Toilette opened the session of 1906
with a message calling for state
commission to regulate railway rates.
"The stalwarts were kept so busy
chasing this new and audacious foray
into their territory that they had to
abandon their old intrenchments. \
railway taxation bill was passed. SO
was n bill for direct primaries, though
with an amendment providing for
referendum.
The issues therefore at the present
moment are these:
''LaFollette says that he wants to
complete and to fortify the work which
he has begun.
= "LaFolette's opponents land this Ia
no injustice to them allow his work
to pass almost without comment but
say that he himself is self-seekinc,
grandstand playing dictator Corrupt?
No. Likely to do what he was elect
ed to dof Yes But n whining,
sniveing dcmagogical hypocsite.
1T seems probable, therefore, the
people of Wisconsin will have to
choose between % a whining. SWIVEL
ing, demagogical hypocrite, who VIII
keep his pledges and who will make
the state greater than the railways,
and GU a galaxy of noble. courtly ir-
reproachable gentlemen who are in the
habit of repudiating all their pledges
and who will make the railways great
or than thc state.
sfTbiS is pertoinlv ~ dilemma "