Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-22
.laFoIIette Alone Would Not Disturb
Holds stephenson's Fate in His
Hands-senators Preparing to Follow
Penrose's Lead and Make Another
Attack.
Especial Correspondencal

desirable citizen; of being unduly pug
nacious. of stirring up, contention, of
lmpugning mems motives with unnec-
essary freedom, and of getting in the
way of proceedings which he doesn't
approve with u stubborness and per-
tinacity which yield to no mollify-
ing efforts.
The badger senator has accumu-
lated sin array of enthusiastic enemies
among his colleagues by reason of his
attacks, in the senate and on the public;
platform, upon the measures and mo-
tives of men. He Is credited With NJ
small part in the business of retiring
several senators from seats which
they desired to retain raeir
relations, notably among them Long Of
Kansas, Ankeny, of Washington, and
Kittredge, of South Dakota. All three
of these men had incurred the es-
pecial displeasure of LaFollette, and
when their time came to be candidates
for reelection he talked in their states
against them. All three were defeated
on rather slender votes, and LaFollette,
deserving or otherwise. got a large
share of the credit for their retire
ment. Then he turned up in Indiana
to make chautauqua speech. and
Senator Hemenway introduced him to
his audience. In the course of the
speech as mapped out, there occurred
some severe animadversions on Sena-
tor Hemenway; and LaEollette, omit
ting to edit the document for the oc-
casion, handed over all the hot stuff.
thereby causing a sensation and great
disgust among senators of the old
school.
But that wasn't all. When the fight
in New Jersey against the election OF
John F. Dryden to succeed himself
was just shaping. LaFollette went into
the state, making lectures, political and
otherwise, and camped on the trail of
fo- whom he seemed to have
a special adversion. The republican
anti Dryenites elected two or three
members Of the legislature. and their
meager accomplishment was attributed
largely to the LaFollette influence.
Those few votes We're enough to de-
feat Dryden; and now the man who
was chosen in his stead. Briggs, is
all the symptoms Of insur-
gency as q senator.
LaFollette Has a Following.
They don't care much for LaFollet.e
about the senate. He wouldn't even
worry them much, save for the fact
that he has considerable following
of people back home, who show dispo-
sition to take his advice about vot-
ing.
Recently, not content with the OPP
which the senate floor in
winter and the chautauqua platform in
summer afford, Mr.. LaFollette started
a weekly newspaper of his own, de-
voted to his own kind of propaganda.
This has not increased his popularity
with the senators, various of whom in
the brief life of the newspaper have
found themselves referred to in it's
columns in no fattering terms.
Holds Stephenson's Fate.
There isn't much doubt that the ex-
asperated elders had reason for their
with the busy man from
Wisconsin. His latest performance has
been to get into a fight with his4pwn
colleague, Senator Stephenson of Wis
consin, whose legislature is failing, day
by day, ballot after ballot, to re-elect
him, despite that the senator certiliss
to spending 100000 in campaign ex-
penses; and the LaFollette forces are
the election. 1t looks as if
Wisconsin would be without a senator
for spell after March 4.
So the story runs that the organiza-
ton determined to make a general as
sault on LaFollette; to handle him
with his own sort Of weapons. Senator
Penrose was the leader of the attack,
He declared that LaFollette, while le-
laying legislation on the ground that
he wasn't given a chance ito know
about it, was in fact guilty of non-at-
tendance at the meetings of the SEN
ate and of committees to which he be-
longed; and he declared it was the I'M
animous testimony of the members of
the Indian committee, Of which the
Wisconsin member is member, that
he almost never attended.
Antagonisms Grow Apace.
On this point there is a difference of
opinion. LaFollette's friends say he has
attended committee meetings very reg
ularly except when i'll or necessarily abb
sent because Of other business con-
nected with legislation, and that he has
merely been misrepresented.
On top of all this, another hostile
senator is understood to have
been going into the record of Mr..
LaFollette, and to have loaded himself
up for an explosion of wrath not I'M
like that Of Mr.. Penrose. In turn, Mr.
LaFollette is said to have been raking
in the records of the career of Pen
rose, and to be preparing to hand back
a few crinkly packages. In short, war
clear to the hilt is said to be on, with
the senatorial management determined
to submerge and break down the Wis
consin man SO that he will be driven
off the map and it will be possible to
defeat him for reelection two years
hence. 1t looks like the bittereSt and
most malignant warfare, on both sides,
that the senate has ever known. La
Toilette knows what he opposes, and
will fight back all along the line. He
has no money, but he is one of the
men who fight we'll on an empty stom-
ach He expects to be somewhere
around handy turnout the engagement.
Penrese Lambasts LaFoIIette.
Senator Penrose, of Pennsylvania,