Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1907-04-15
Madison. April II.


The conference of La Toilette men
of the legislature yesterday morning
resulted only in the adoption OF res
Olution asking State Chairman W. D.
Connor to call a republican caucus
for Monday night. The meeting was
held in the room of the assembly jul
dietary committee on the fourth floor
of the capitol just after the adjourn
ment of the senate and assembly.
Speaker Herman L. Ekern was elect
ed to preside and Assemblyman b. w.
LIE Roy was elected secretary.
There was some trouble in deciding
who were to be admitted to the con-
ference. Supporters of Congressman
John J. Esch said that they would at
tend the conference but that they
wanted it to be a 'half-breed" con-
ference. and they argued that any
man who had been identified with the
''half-breed" faction through the last
six years and had stood by the prin-
ciples ennunciated in the republican
state platforms was a half-breed for
the purposes of the conference. There
were 81 members present, 16 senators
and 81 assemblymen They were:
Senators Barker, Bishop, Brazeau,
Burns, Hudnall, Lockney, Marsh,
Martin. Morris, Munson, Noble, Owen,
Sanborn. Stondall, Stout, Wilcox-16.
Assemblymen Ainsworth, Bell, Berg,
Cahoon, Coolidge, Curtiss, Durley, Els
tabrook, Georgi. Goldsworthy, Hagen,
Hager, Harring, Hebron, Ingram, Ir-
vine, Jackson, Jones, Kay, Keppel,
Keup, Kuckuk, LIE Roy, Luy, Mains,
MCGEE, McGregor, Mckenzie, T. H.
Miller, Morris, F. f. Mueller, Neitzel,
Nye, Glen, Perry, J. P Peterson, Rey-
nolds, Roethe. Roycraft. Schauer, G.
E. Scott, J. j. Scott, Simon Smith,
So9eT, S2rensen, Sprague, Stout, ]. o.
Thomas, T. NJ. Thomas, Turner, Well
ensgard and Speaker H. l.. Ekern-51.
Decline to Be Tied Up.
There is reason to believe that the
plan of the conference was to get 81
or more members. majority of the
republicans of the legislature to unite
upon one candidate, but it quickly be-
came apparent that this plan must
fail, for many of those present, one
after another, stood up and declared
that while they had accepted the in
vitation to attend an informal confer
ence, they wanted it understood that
they would not be bound by any
action taken and would feel free to
do as they pleased whatever action
the conference or a majority thereof
might take No names of candidates
were mentioned. There was no
trouble in reaching the determination
to have a party caucus Monday night,
but that is all that could be done for
motions to adjourn followed quickly,
A condition of the conference was
that no motion should prevail unless
sustained by a vote of 50 or more
members. and Chairman Ekern
seemed to feel that this condition ex-
tended to the motion to adjourn for
although a large majority of the
meeting voted to adjourn, the chair
man held the motion to be lost. This
caused serious i'll feeling and Senator
i Noble, Assemblyman Roycraft and
others got up and left The meeting
finally adjourned without further
action and as the day wore away the
veil of secrecy vanished and members
freely talked of the utter failure of
the conference in all respects other
than the small matter of asking Mr..
Conner to call a party caucus Monday
night at o'clock in the assembly
chamber.