East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-06-12

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of meat and potatoes; that he does
the Chautauqua circuit profitably dur
ing the summer time; that the rail
roads hate him that members of the
United States senate are not fond O.
him that he makes a good speech
that he is opposed to the vested in
terests and that all railroad mer
think he wears hoofs and horns.
He has been in political life for "a
years, during which time he served
three consecutive terms in the lowel
branch of congress, and three timei
as governor. He was defeated fol
reelection to the house in 1890, anC
that year marked the beginning o.
his remarkable struggle against th'
domination of railroad and other cor
porations in the politics of Wiscon'
sin.
At the end Of 10 years effort he
became governor of the state. The
experiences of those 10 years were
varied. They included house .tc
house campaigning, many defeats,
patronage bribes and even offers OF
money by corporations interested In
getting him out Of their way. In one
instance, it is alleged, the nomina-
ton for governor was stolen from him
| by the purchase of delegates. But
at length his strength with the people
became so overwhelming that he was
nominated and elected.
Successful RcfOrmer.
During his service as governor, La
Toilette was so successful in his prop
aganda of refrom that an honest ma
jority was secured in the legislature
and laws were enacted compelling the
valuation of railroads and other
quasi-public corporate property and
revising the taxes of these corpora.
tions so that they have been compell-
ed to pay more nearly their just pro-
portion. A primary election law for
senatorial and other nominations was
passed. a good law was secured COW
ering the grant Of street railway
franchises to municipal corporations
III tlc SNdA' anu pSiihittiHb " WIZ ~
the people on all such important
privileges.
Having cleaned house in his own
state, La Toilette decided to enter a
broader field, and in 1905 he was
elected to the United States senate to
succeed Joseph b. Quarles, and took
his seat January 4, 1906.
That Ia Toilette would be ineffec-
tual as a member of the United
States senate was the prediction made
freely by his numerous enemies. The
powerful interests which he had an
tagonized in his own state feared and
resented his presence in the United
States senate.
He has disappointed his enemies,
no less than he has pleased his
friends. Those who believed that he
would be content to make a noise and
let IL go at that have found that they
were mistaken. Others who thought
that he would render himself useless
by ill-advised personal attacks or un-
dignified conduct have found they
were equally in error. On the other
hand, the smooth, diplomatic gem
tlemen who run the senate have found
it impossible to move La Toilette from
his regular course of action by soft
speech, promises or hopes of any kind
Of reward. Neither officer, nor ten,
dered appointments on important
COMMITTEES, nor pleasant social rela-
tions have been efectual in swerving
La Toilette from the course he has
mapped out.
An Important Minority.
Senator La Toilette has constituted
himself very important minority oil
one. In this capacity he objects to
bad legislation and uses his objections
to secure what is possible of good
legislation, and the fact that the SEN
ate does business practically by unan-
imous consent, has made La Follettes $
legislative independence a potent fac
tor in the law making power.
The best speech on the administra-
tons railroad rate law was that de-
livered by Senator La Toilette. He
is responsible for more amendments
to that law as it now stands on the
books than any single member of
the senate. His long fight with the
railroads in Wisconsin had given |
him a wonderful preparation to deal
with this subject intelligently and
forcefully. President Roosevelt ac-
the assistance rendered
by La Toilette in his fight, and sew
eral of the latter's amendments were
adopted by the administration before |
they were presented in the senate.
Senator La Toilette was a pioneer
in the work of saving the public util-
tiles. In the fifty-ninth congress he
exposed an effort by the Standard |
Oil company to acquire the oil and
lands in the then territory |
Of Oklahoma and Indian Territory.
He prepared, but was unable to Sc
cure the passage OF an excellent law
to protect the rights of the govern
ment, and thus of the people, in coal
and mineral lands which still are
part of the public domain. He aided
the passage of the meat inspection
law, the pure food law, the employ
ers' liability law, and practically all
he good legislation enacted in the
fifty-ninth congress.
In the sixtieth congress La Follette
single handed defeated the original
Aldrich currency biu. He held that
he bill was intended primarily to
,reate a market for railroad securi-
les which had been corralled by
Rockefeller, Morgan, Ryan and a
lew other New York capitalists, and