Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-10-13
wA1cHmAN, TELL US OF THE NIGHT!

WATCHMAN, TELL US OF THE NIGHT!
The average voter reads the news
from Wisconsin with unconcern. I'd
the student of politics, the man who is
lie good, this victory for good govern
ment as embodied in the recent finding
of the supreme court is full of mean-
ing. Robert LaF'olette represents in
Wisconsin what Roosevelt represents
in the nation; what Folk represents in
Missouri; what Cummins represents in
Iowa; what Deneen represents in Illt-
nois; what Jerome represents in New
York, with this difference, Jerome is
an unreenting warfare against law
breaking. He requires the same obed-
fence to the law from the millionaire
as from the common gambler. He rec
ognizes no pull and influence no
longer secures immunity. Roosevelt
and Folk are fighting graft" while
LaFollette and Cummins and Deneen
are fighting the system" the thing
that makes graft possible, the cult in
which graft grows, in which it becomes
strong, insolent: defies public opinion.
True, no such conditions exist in Wis
consin, as we find in Missouri, but it is
exactly the same System" except that
in Missouri, it is full grown. 1t will,
if let alone sooner or later bring about
the same conditions in Wisconsin,
Iowa, Illinois and elsewhere, as now
exist in Missouri.
Robert LaFollette is admitted by his
enemies to be an honest man. an
able man, a clean man, and all the
world knows that he is a courageous
consin and the leader of his party
against the wishes and against the
protest Of the men in Wisconsin who
hold federal office, and who dictate
policies and appointments. This, SO
far as we know, constitutes LaFoll-
cites only offense. He wanted to be
governor; he did not ask for Senator
Spooner's permission, nor Senator
Quarles', MIR. Babcock's, nor anybody's.
simply went before the people and was
nominated and elected. This has
been his method ever since he was
first elected prosecutor of Dane coun-
~ He knew that there were grave
evils that governor might correct.
He knew that the men who constitute
the system didn't want to correct them.
He knew that if elected, he must be
elected in spite of them.
The convention that selected the
delegates to Chicago, was a republic
can convention. 1t was regular in ev-
cry way. The men who call the peo-
pie of Wisconsin half breeds" and
who style themselves "stalwarts," or
gained rump convention, simply to
down LslFollette. They named
delegation that was admitted to the
Chicago convention by the committee
on credentials, because 1t was led
by men who had pull" by Senator
Spooner, Senator Quarles, Congress
man Babcock, and Postmaster General
Payne. 1t had no more right TO sit
in that convention than the man from
Borneo, and the committee on creden-
tia1s knew it, but it knew also that
the convention wouldn't and couldn't
inquire into it.
La Toilette and his people accepted
defeat without word, and took it to the
supreme court. one of the ablest and
strongest courts in the United States.
Walter Wellman in the Record Herald
said that La Toilette had been run over
by a railroad train. The Record Herald
is Independent. courageous; that pa
per knew the facts. and the public
was astounded when 1t had the cour-
age. to let Wellman attack this act
Of the convention. Those who have
been reading Lincoln Steffens in Nc
Cures knew just what Wellman
meant. Every Cummins republican in
Iowa knew what he meant. "Stalwart"
in Wisconsin means "standpatter,, in
Iowa. Half breed" in Wisconsin
means "Cummins republicans In
Iowa. Every standpat paper i'm Iowa,
big and little, was jubilant when La
Toilette was turned down. Now the SUI
preme court rights this wrong, and
finds that La Toilette is the only re-
publican candidate. Cook, ashamed Of
the performance, withdraws, ard SEQ
field takes his place, hoping to divide
the republican vote and elect Peck.
They would rather see democratic
governor in Wisconsin,, than repub-
lican who refuses to bend the knee to
the System"
There are many parallels between
Roosevelt and his career, and La Fol-
lette and his career. There are more
parallels between La Toilette in Wis
consin and Cummins in Iowa. The
committee on credentials at Chicago
did just what the committee on Gre
dentials at Cedar Rapids did. In both
cases the purpose was the same. In
I, in frn1