New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-04-29
tice neglected and dissipated. he faced

ice neglected and diSS1pated he faced
q future that was anything but roseate
His enemies. with the hope of getting
him out of the state. offered him a
fattering appointment in the treasury
department at Washington. Most men
would have jumped at the offer. He
did not. He took a fresh grip and con-
tinued the fight. To overcome disease
he went through course of physical
exercise. To mend his business pros
poets and to get out of debt he de-
voted himself with redoubled energy
to the law. AS for the political end of
the battle. he organized his forces for
victory in 1900 And he won.
In the life of most men comes some
crucial point where they have absolute
freedom to choose for better or worse
That choice determines their whole
after lives. Had Robert M. La Fol-
lette yielded to temptation and accept
ed the appointment offered him by his
enemies he probably never would have.
been heard of again in politics. at least
not in reform politics He was strong
enough to resist. and from that very
hour his prospects began to mend He
was prepared to win the battle with
his enemies because he had won the
battle with himself
In 1890 he was nominated and elect
ed governor of Wisconsin. The vic
tory was only personal, however. The
lobby again succeeded in defeating his
principles in the Legislature. He re-
newed the fight. ran again for gov
ernor. was elected and won the en-
actment of part Of his platform. Still.
he was not satisfied, but ran a third
time for the governorship
This time he notified the reaction
aries that he would fight to the last
ditch for all his principles, the three
most important of which were state
primary law, equal taxation and a
railroad rate bill His enemies raised
against him the third term cry and
massed formidable opposition, led
by the two United States senator's.
most of the congressman and all the
railroads and other corporations in the
state When the little fighter won
over all of them the opposition bottled.
held another state convention, elected
a contesting delegation to the national
convention and nominated a state
ticket.
Growing Triumph of His Career.
The succeeding fight ws the hottest
in the history of Wisconsin politics.
The two senator's Of whom the re-
doubtable Spooner was one. were
strong enough to have the La Toilette
delegation thrown out of the national
convention. He went back to Wiscon;
sin, began a vigorous campaign, won
his case in the courts for the legality
of his ticket and was elected over all
competitors by an overw helming PHI,
rality. 1t was the browning triumph of
his career. He was then chosen to the
senate. but refused to resign the gov
ernorship until all of his measures had
been enacted into law. The fight had
been going on for more than ten years
but he had won at every point. With
the signing of the bill that completed
his legislative programme he laid down
the reins as governor of Wisconsin and
began his career as United States sena
tor.
AS might have been expected. La Fol
lette was not welcome to the reigning
inner circle" of the upper house. The
the railroads. the trusts and the spe-
cial interests had little use for one from
the plain people.
Declined to Be a WaIIfIOWer.
The new man made his presence felt,
however. from the first. He declined
to be Wallhower. He had no respect
for the precedent that made new sen
ator serve two years before he could
begin representing his people He had
not been in his seat long before he pre-
vented the steal of millions of dollars
worth Of government coal lands by the
railroads in Indian Territory. He be
gan almost at once fighting for al en-
ployers' liability act, shorter hours for
railway employees and physical valua.
ton of railroads to get rid Of the wa
tered stock fraud. He also lent vigor-
Gus support to the rate bill. his speech
being pronounced by students the
ablest of the session. He attacked the
railway mail graft. Despite the at.
tempts of the corporation attorneys in
the senate to haze him, he went his
way and did his work. He showed
himself infinitely larger than all the
tribe of those who pretend to serve the
people while hiring themselves to the
peoples enemies.
1t is a matter for supreme thanksgiv-
ing that at last the American people
are learning their true friends. They
are seeing through the masks of those
who pretend to serve public good. but
in reality serve only private greed.
They have seen enough insurance
crookedness, railroad favoritism. brib-
cry. double dealing and joker legisla-
ton to put them on their guard for
eyermore against the industrial pirates
and the political grafters. 1t is men
such as La Toilette who have done
their part toward awakening the pub