Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-04-28
| TOILETTE ON
COUNTY OPTION.
DECLARES HE TOOK. NO PART
IN THE CONTEST ON THAT
QUESTION.
ANSWER TO CIRCULAR ISSUED
BY AhTI-sALooN CRU
SADERS.

Washington, d. c., April 23.-Sen-
ator La Toilette makes public copy
OF a letter which he has sent to Rev.
r. w. Schoenfeld of Dodgeville, Wis
consin, and i'm which the senator
makes denial of the charges con-
tanned In a circular sent OUT from
Sparta, Wisconsin. The circular
charges Senator La Toilette with de-
feating the county option bill, and
reads:
THE friends of county option in
the last state senate were expecting
to pass a bill giving the people OF
Wisconsin an opportunity to vote as
to whether county option should be-
come law. The plan called for
the vote to be taken in the spring
OF 1909 A quiet canvass revealed
that many of the friends as well as
the opponents of the measure were
in favor of having this vote taken
On the date of the September pri-
maries Of 1910 when Senator La fol
lette as well as others would con-
test for nomination. The Senator
and a few devoted followers who
owe their political existence to him
realized that this date would be an
embarrassing one for the Senator az
it would cause him to be drawn into
the battle more or less, and If he
favored the measure he would be
fought by the powerful brewery and
liquor interests Of the state, and If
he was against the bill, the church
element might make trouble. There
fore the bill was defeated. Tariff is
more important to the politicians
than temperance.
The circular, also included an in
terview with Senator Barker OF
Sparta, who was quoted as saying
"Tn the final analysis it comes down
to the question, will you sign a
county option bill If the legislature
should pass one? All of the candi-
dates will have to answer that ques-
tion so where would they have any
thing over me? That same question
in my opinion is going to give Sen
ator La Toilette lots of trouble The
people will want to know exactly
where ne stands In the county OPP
ton fight last winter the measure
in the senate was defeated by three
votes and those votes came from La
been received from Senator La Fol
lette. Then recently I saw a copy
of a paper published in Milwaukee
in the interests of the liquor deal
ers in which Senator La Toilette was
highly commended 1t looks to me
as though the senator would have to
tell just where he stands"
III HIS letter to Mr. Schoenfield
Senator La Toilette declares that 1T
is evident the tories are planning
an old-fashioned stalwart campaign
early. 1t has never been my prac-
tice to make answer to misrepresen-
tation With respect to this matter
I will say once for all that any state
ment to the effect that / sent tel
egram which was used to influence
votes either for or against the county
option legislation before or during
the session of the Wisconsin legis-
lature is absolutely false. sent no
telegram. telephone message. letter
Or verbal communication which could
in any way be twisted into an ex-
preston of opinion regarding the
subject or giving or suggesting ad-
vice or counsel as to legislative ac-
ton upon county option legislation
to any member of the Senate or AS
sembly or to any other person either
before the legislature convened or
at any time thereafter. Any state
ment TO the contrary is unqualifiedly
false and untrue"
The senator says he received one
letter from Milwaukee while the leg
islature was in session. stating that
rumor was current that he was
influencing senators to vote for the
County Option bill. His reply to
this letter was ANY statement or
suggestion such as you say is being
made here and there that I am in.
fiuencing directly or indirectly the
action of any member or members
of the senate respecting bills deal
ing with the liquor or brewing in
terests, is absolutely untrue and
without foundation"