Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-11-01
Gov. LaK gillette.

score of years, y is the description that
one of his newspaper enemies bestows
upon the governor SO far as it goes
it is true description. 1t is far from
embodying all there is of him, but it
tells of one thing. He is unique He is
a most ardent supporter of party that
differs from him almost as much as
black differs from white. He spent
quite portion of his speech at the
opera house here last Wednesday even
ing in proving that it took ten years of
strenuous effoEt-at each of ten sessions
of congress to get passed the interstate
commerce act, providing for an inter
state commerce commission. 1t took
another ten years to ascertain that TIE
commission was without power to pre-
vent the determinations that it was the
purpose of the act of congress to pre-
vent. And since the supreme court of
the United States decided that the COM
mission had not been given that neces-
sary power ten more years have ex-
pired, during which, at each session of
congress, the interstate commerce COM
mission has begged congress to give it
this necessary power, and begged with
out avail, against the railroads and
their lobbyists, and the senators and
congressman who we're put there
through railroad influence This Is a
record Of republican congresses. And yet
this is the party that LaFollette is sup
porting. He dreams that he is going to
wrest this great party from the clutch
of the monopolists, and yet he has been
failing to do it, even in the state of Wis
consin for the last six years, let alone
the whole nation. And his efforts in
this state have turned against him all
the influential men of his own party,
both in the state and outside of it.
Yes. A unique character indeed
But LaFollette would probably say,
in reply to this, Look to yourselves,
you democrats. Am ! any worse off
in my party than Bryan is in yours !?
Has not Bryan undertaken as big and
as thankless a task as mine 20 Well, it
must be conceded that Bryan aroused
against himself one of the strongest
political elements now opposed to
LaFollette, namely the trusts. But did
he not find within his party much bet
ter support than LaFollette can ever
hope to find in the republican party ?
Has any one got temerity of magma
ton sufficient to picture to himself a
day within the next fifty years when a
man with LaFollette's views, and pos
sessing even his wonderful powers of
mind, can hope to have the following
in the republican party that Bryan has
among the democrats
LaFollette is genius, and not a well
balanced character. His genius is
turned in the right direction, but he is
one of those men who are strong be-
cause they see one thing, and see it so
C clearly that they fail to see anything
else Bryan is different His is a
rounded character. He can see what
ought to be done, but he can also see
the ways in which it cannot be done.
I,aFollette can see nothing except what
ought to be done, and can think moth
ing except that he can do it by means
of his own party. A chemist might as
well attempt to manufacture water
from nitrogen and soda, as LaFollette
to attempt the task ne has undertaken
within his own party. AS well try to
burn shavings by throwing water upon
them. OF course there are great
many able and far seeing thinkers upon
social questions who say that there is
20 practical difference between the dem
ocratic and republican parties in this
respect; that while the LaFollette ideas
of reform find vastly greater number
of friends in the democratic than in the
republican party, they do not and never
will find friends enough therein to con-
troll the party policy sufficiently, strong
ly and lastingly to carry out any of
these reforms. This does not seem to
be well grounded conclusion, for
these ideas of reform have been max
ing giant strides within the democratic
party during the last score of years,
and never more rapidly than at the
present time. Compare this with the
behavior of the republican party toward
them. Let man like Pingree, of Mich
igan, or Cummings, of Iowa, or LaFol-
lette. of Wisconsin, speak his mind, or
attempt to take any leading part in
party affairs, and the whole machinery
of the national party is at once turned
against him, and he is smothered out.
Surely then, any man who seriously
desires that the public should be pro-
tected against the monopolists must
have a weak point in his intellect if he
chooses the republican party instead of
the democratic party as the means to
accomplish his purpose. With the dem
ocratic party, or with the best party
that could be devised, the task would
be an enormous one TO win against the
combined forces of monopoly But to
attempt to do it with the republican
party looks like choosing to carry on
war with clubs when rifles are as easy
to obtain. Yes, Gov LaFollette is
surely a unique character.