Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-06-22
TINE IS TAKEN Up
FOR LECTUR|NG
LA FOLETTE'S TIME SPOKEN
FOR JULY AND AUGUST.
u. S. Senator Makes His Living By
LeCturing in the Summer
MOnthS---Sdldry of $1,000 a
Year Wholly Inddequdteto Sup
port Himself and Family.
madison DemOcrat.)


Washington journment of con-
gress means rest for some sena tors
and representatives, but Robert Mar
ion La Toilette is not among their
number. Without wealth, Senator La
Toilette finds his senatorial salary of
$4,000 year wholly inadequate for
the support of himself and his family
in Washington. A New York con-
gressman endeavored the other day to
engage Senator La Toilette to d oliver
Fourth of July speech before a well
known Manhattan organization. 81
am sorry not to be able to accept your
invitation,' said Senator La Toilette,
But nave an engagement for every
night IN July and August. The fact
of the matter is l make my living by
lecturing in the sum mer months"
1t was not until last year that La
Toilette discovered that he could make
more money on the lecture platform
than by engaging in other business.
Nor did he learn this lesson until
he had failed in several business ven
lures. He tried horse ranching and
farming. but lost money at both. Af-
leaving congress in 1890 he invest
ed the little capital he had been able
to lay aside in horse ranch in South
Dakota. in two years he was ruined
man, financially. Then he tried his
and at practising law, but this did
not add much to his store of worldly
goods, and few yeas later he was
elected governor. While holding
that office he was able to save little
or nothing. Last year the manager
of the Chautauqua circuit booked La
Toilette as a speaker and scheduled
him for an address almost every night
for three months. At the end of that
time Senator La Toilette is said to
have received check for SIT, 200.
This was more money than he had
ever possessed at any one time before.
With it he purchased farm just out
side of Madison for which he agreed
to pay $50. Senator La Toilette
hopes to lift the mortgage from this
farm with the proceeds from his sum-
mer tour of lectures.
Senator La Toilette has not made a
hit in the senate as a specker, but
out west the people listen to him by
the hour. He appears to have the
knack Of interesting large audiences
of plain people in a profound and in
tricate discussion of great questions.
His constituents will pack themselves
into lecture hall on hot summer
night and listen to La Toilette on
railroad rates from eight clock until
midnight and have frequently called
for "more" when he brought his
speech to a close. It is the mans
earnestness that takes, for certainly
his is not an attractive style of ora
tory nor does he illuminate his dis
cussions with anecdotes.
The day will come when the senate
and the house will vote to increase
the salaries of it's members. Senator
La Toilette is not the only senator
who is compelled to do outside work
to support his family. For five or
six years Senator Tillman has deliv-
cred lectures in various parts of the
country and supplemented his senator
ial salary by the proceeds. Senator
Tillman's favorite subject is the race
question, but his prominence in rail-
road rate legislation during the past
session has attracted general atten-
tion, and he would have no difficulty
in arranging series of speeches dur
ing the interim on this subject Sena-
tor Tillman, however, had has to give
up extensive lecturing during the
summer for the last year or two on
account of threat trouble.