Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-10-22

Former Assemblyman Replies to the
Governors Charges.

Grant County, ! wish to say through
the columns of your paper that IT ne
said of me what is reported, as did
not hear him speak, he misstated the
facts and only told part of the clrcum-
stances in such way that it would re-
fleet on me; when, if he had told the
whole story, it would have looked
different. I explained my votes at one
time two years ago, and can prove all
/ said by the Assembly Journal, which
is better proof than what either he or
can say. And why did he not say
something then? Because at that
time I was supposed to be LaFol-
lette man. And if / had have been one
now, you wouldn't have heard one
word from him. All I would have to
have done would have been to support
him, and that would have cleared me,
as it has many others, himself in
cluded. If he could clean off his own
doorstep, it would be of more interest
to the people. I am not candidate
for office. But you will notice he
never tries to do that. His strong card
is to keep the people thinking there is
something wrong with the other fellow
and he is all right.
The Governor is clever actor and
/ understand it took him some time
when he was young to make up his
mind which to follow: political life
or be an actor. He can certainly
make small thing look large or
large thing small. But as the Governor
knew the town and village of Fenni-
more had been carried by the Stall
warts at all the caucuses this summer,
| suppose he thought if he would come
here with brass band and delega-
tion from neighboring town and
jump on to me and tell us some things
RICH and some things wrong, that the
people would fall over themselves to
carry the caucuses that day, while the
excitement was on, the way he wanted
it. But the people seemed to have
done as they pleased about that, and
the Stalwart majority in the village
was little stronger than usual.
knew Mr.. LaFollette has no time
for me, but as far as our friendship
is concerned, it is mutual.
He asked me when the primary
bill, No. SO a, was introduced, what l
thought of it and told him would
vote for it, but did not think much of
1T. / asked him what he thought of
the license fee bill for taxing railroad
companies, and he said the ad valorem
bill was the rightsbill, as the railroad
companies would of course charge
higher freight rates to get even, if
we taxed them higher, but freight
rate bill would come later, and we
would get more taxes out of them to
raise their rate. | said "why not
stand for the right bill and also try
and pass the freight rate bill, if it was
coming out of freight rates to get
more tax from the railroad COM
panies." / thought it would affect
the agricultural districts and be bet
ter to pass the right bill or none. He
said we could not pass the ad valorem
bill now. told him if what we called
LaFollette men and men in favor of
the primary election law would stand
for the ad valorem bill and freight
rate bill we could pass it in the AS
sembly, as | knew good number of
anti-primary men who would vote for
them. He said to vote for the license
fee bill and pass it up to the Senate
and they would kill it. Here dropped
the subject, thinking if we were there
to pass wrong bills up to the Senate to
kill, that | would vote for the right
ones and let the primary election men
kill them if they wanted to; and &C
cordingly. when the license fee bill
came up In the committee. I voted
against it.
When the ad valorem bill came up
| voted for it, and it was reported for
passage, but beaten in the Assembly
by three votes; and by such men as
Overlook, who was appointed by the
governor as state game warden at $6
per day; Root, whom LaFollette has
been riding around with over Outa-
game County and endorsing for State
Senator; Steiger, who was chairman
of the committee on primary election
and worked all winter for it; and
a lot more of LaFollette and primary
election fellows. They ali voted against
it. But l voted for it, in the committee
and on the floor. When asked Over
beck why he wouldn't vote for the ad
valorom bill he said just because he
wouldn't. When the Hall bill, No. IS,
came up. on freight rates, it received
"a votes, with most every man in the
Assembly who was LaFollette man
voting against it; Overlook, Thomas,
Root, and many others. voted for it.
Now the facts are there. It was not
that [ voted wrong on the railroad
bills, but was not friend of prima-
~ elections, and that was the bill and
the only one, think, that LaFollette
cared to pass. Every man who doubt
ed his primary law was stamped as
against him, and must be stamped to
death politically, and the word to 60
out to the world that they were dis
h0noct onI not 20 ho trY,c+oI AL