Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-27
LAFoLLeTTE AT GRInnELL.

"And there were giants in those
days" The man who did not hear La
Toilette when he lectured in Grinnel!
missed the best and most instructive
talk Of the season. For three hours he
held a large and cultivated audience
spellbound. He had his manuscript be-
fore him, but the manuscript received
slight attention. He had a message for
the people and they certainly wanted
to hear 1T. He gave us the condition of
things in wisconsin when he begun his
fight for the people in 1893. We who
know something of corporate influences
and machine politics In Iowa can ap-
preciate LaFollette's strory of the
strenuous goingon In his own state.
The condition there was far worse than
here, for the reason that there the ma
chine had become the most perfect
piece of devil;sh mechanism that un-
scrupulods men could devise. 1t made
what Lincoln Steffen terms the "sys-
tenn" aud 1t was absolutely merclless,
absolutely piriless and we'll nigh irwin
ctNle.
Blu. as Golini had David SO Wis
cousin raised vi champion of human
rights, aud af.ef continuous strug-
gle of six years with both senators.
every congressman, every leading
newspaper, every railway corporation,
every railroad lawyer. all the rich lum-
Der companies and other corporations
and trusts asa;ns. him, he triumphed.
He Is not only the governor of the
people In wisconsin today, but their
leader their lawgjver and their shield.
He has, by the most consumm9te
and skilfui genera. slip, not only suc-
ceeded in taxing corporations, but his
great boon to the people is the primary
ballot law, ratified and made q law on
the Sth of November, 1904, by a ire
mendous majority. With this weapon,
his own work, forced upon an unwill-
ing legislature, in the teeth of bribery
and in spit. Of lobbyists, he has taken
the nominating rover out OF the hahas
of the csbal that hos held 1t so many
years and given 1T back to the people.
1t may dot prove to be as efiicacious
as LaFollette supposes, but l believe
1t will be. / believe it is the most i'm
portant piece OF legislation since the
Australian ballot law.
Governor Latollette is a man
of small stature, but he has
such "a large head that he
looks ton heavy as he faces
the platform. He Is an easy, graceful
talker. and when he turns from his
manuscript, he instantly becomes elo-
uuent. The story he told of the strug-
gle of the people of wisconsin against
the machine to regain control or the
marty nominating machinery was Won
derfully interesting. AS now remem-
Der it. lie made his first fight against
the machine in 1898. He went to the
convention with enough delegates
pledged to him to control. At ma
night, before convention day, 1t was re-
norted to him that his delegates were
being "seen" In room or the holei
where headquarters were held, occu-
Nod Nv a notorious railroad lobbyist.
The next morning and before conven-
tion hour this lobbyist came to him
and wanted to see him alone.
The rest will give in La Folletts
own words. II told MN !
would see him, knew then that was
beaten. but did not propose to let him
see that knew it. He said: Lafoi-
lette. we have you beaten; we nave got
your men away from YOU knew u
was true. looked at him moment
and then told him would go into
that convention and into the next, ana
the next, and fight them to a stand
still. He said: oh, don't make a fool
of yourself, acknowledge you are beat
an and don't make fuss, and We'll
take care of you.'" The governor then
naused in his lecture and scratching
his head he said: IT thought mo-
ment and then told him I would take
care Of myself, and"-pausing again
1T have"
He told Of the next campaign,
How he discovered that SO long as the
caucus system prevailed, by which
men met and selected delegates to the
county convention, and these delegates
selected other delegates to the state con.
yention, and these delegates, or their
proxies. delegated their authority to the
boss. there could be no relief. He told
how vicious the proxy system was in
practice, and some Of us here in Powe-
shiek and others in Mahaska have had
some experience with it's workings. He
shovel that by the time the peoples
commands in caucus reached the con-
vention they were lost sight of or were
in the keeping Of avowed enemies. He
then told Of his study of the primary
ballot system, how he spoke in every
city and hamlet, met the people, talked
to them of the perfect primary sys-
tenn for nominating, how he again went