Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-08-26
STALWART METHODS

1t is interesting and instructive to
note the methods used by the Stalwarts
in their fight on La Toilette. They do
not attack the measures he has champ
Toned and written into law. On, dear
no. Why, they are the real true blue
progressives, and fairly dote on pro-
gressive legislation. There was time
when they denounced the primary law
as an infringement on political freedom,
the anti-pass law as unnecessary and
impractical, the railroad rate legislation
as an anarchistic attack on private bus
mess, etc. You don't hear any more
such talk. They no more question the
justice of the La Toilette legislation
than they would question the Ten Com
mandments-that is, they don't openly
question it.
While admitting the high merit of
La Follette's work, they maintain that
he should be defeated, because-well,
because he isn't sincere. Happy
thought! Of course, the reform stat
utes he wrote on our statute books are
right, but he ISM sincere. He sup
ported reform because of personal am
bition. And, just think of 1.-THE
didn't consult the leaders of his party.
He just went out and told the people
things which those leaders thought not
proper for the people to know. Why
should the common people know how
their representatives in the legislature
voted? The idea! AS candidate Isaac
Lund says, They should have conf
dence in the judgment of their assem-
blymen," and let it go at that.
Regarding La Follette's work in the
senate, they admit that the things he
voted for and worked for are right.
They admit that the WOODEN schedule of
the tariff law, which he opposed, is an
abomination. They admit that the
amendments he helped secure to the
railroad control measure, giving the
Interstate commerce commission and
the commerce court greater control of
railroads, are right They admit that
he and his fellow Insurgents improved
the postal savings banks bill by provid-
ing that at least part of the deposits
should be kept in the locality where de-
posted instead of being sent to Wall
Street for use in speculation. But
another happy thought! In making
these admittedly proper amendments,
La Toilette and his fellows changed
bills which had been prepared by the
administration! Great Cannons! Has
Congress any right to change bill that
has been drafted by the Attorney
General? While the things which La
Toilette voted for are right in them
selves, they had not received the O. K
of Wickersham, and therefore no Re-
publican should vote for them.
Here, again, we see the essential
weakness of La Toilette. He goes out
to the people, tells them his ideas, gets
their ideas, on needed legislation,
and then goes to the senate and votes
for what he thinks the people need
and want. He doesn't consult the
party leaders. How in the world
cam you maintain "party solidarity" in
this way? That method may have done
very well in the old-fogy days of
Washington of Lincoln, and of McKin-
ley, but not in these modern times
We must have as party leaders respon-
sible business men, like Aldrich, direct
or of the rubber trust, Depew, repre-
sentative of the railroads, Platt, who
shared in the control of the big express
companies, etc. Of course, we must
elect other senators and representa-
tives, because, as Candidate Fairchild