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

| Well-organlZed and Well-hnanced OppO-
sition. Look at it, in the light of the
facts just set forth, and consider this
question: From what source will come
LaFollette's legislative votes If the Re-
publican ticket in Wisconsin is headed
by county optionist or Tory?
Makeup of Present Legislature.
In the 1909 legislature the Demo-
Gratis held II assembly districts and 4
senatorial. The assembly districts
from which Democratic representa-
tives were sent to Madison were the
two each in Dodge, Jefferson and Sank
counties, four from Milwaukee county,
met, Ozaukee, Marathon (first), Dane
(third), La Crosse (second), and
Washington. The Democratic sena-
tors came from Dodge, Calumet and
Manitowoc, Jefferson and Walworth,
and Columbia and Sank districts. 1t
gave the Democrats total voting
strength of 81
The SocialDemocrats controlled
three assemblymen from Milwaukee
county and one senator, w. r. Gay
lord, also from Milwaukee county and
who holds over for the coming ses-
sion. This gave the Social-Democrats
a total voting strength of 4
Assume that the Democrats of Wis
consin, going into this fight with a
united front and with an organization
being rapidly perfected. merely hold
their own. Assume also that the So
cial-Democrats do likewise. In the
latter case even gain Is probable, for
In Milwaukee county they are splen-
didly organized, and backed by city
administration absolutely In control of
Milwaukee county's vote. If each
party does no more than merely hold
it's own the Democratic and Social
Democratic vote in the next legisla-
ture, when the two branches meet in
joint session to ballot for United
States senator, will be 25.
There are 100 assemblymen and 33
senators In the legislature, making a
total of 1873 votes cast on the joint
ballot when all are present. Subtract
from this number the Is Democratic
and Socialistic votes represented there
(assuming each of these parties holds
it's own in the coming election) and
the Republicans,-Tories and Progress
sives,-will control 108 votes ON the
joint ballot OF these 1913, there are
Is senators, s counted as LaFollette
supporters, and Z standing against
him, who hold over from the Seeisla-
tive body. Subtracting them from the
1903, leaves SO Republican seats for
which contest is to be made in this
election
LaFoIIette Must Have 67 Votes.
Now, with 1873 votes to be cast on
the joint ballot, to be returned to his
seat in the United States senate, La
Toilette must poll CT of the legislative
votes. Eight of this number he al
ready has III the hold-over senators of
Progressive political faith. This
means, in brief, that he must carry So
CT minus 81 of the SO normally Re-
publican assembly and senatorial dis
tricts in which contests are being or
will be waged. In other phrasing, the
com ined Democratic, Social-Demo-
cratic, and Tory Republican opposition
to Senator LaFollette need carry but
35 OF these SO districts to defeat him
From what source will the neces-
sary LaFollette votes come if the Re-
publican state ticket Is headed by
county optionist or Tory? Will it come
from the heavy foreign vote or Of the
native born population of voting age
more than three-fifths of whom are
sons of foreign born parents? Will it
come from the German vote, which
foreign and native born exceeds 220,-
900 out of total of $4,000 votes in
the state? To the large majority of
these county option" means an attack
on personal liberty and prerogative
and ''toryism" means retrogression.
The Democratic ticket will be head
ed by Adolph j. Schmitz, formerly of
Manitowoc, now of Milwaukee, an anti
county optionist. From what source
are the LaFollette votes to come? Is
1t evident now how ominously threat
ening that answer is to LaFollette
supporters, to the peoples cause, to
the principles for which Progressive
Republicanism has been fighting
against such heavy odds?
Districts In Danger
To know how threatening is the
danger, one need only look at the vote
cast In the last election In some of the
assembly and senatorial districts that
normally return Progressive Republi-
cans to the legislature The figures
that follow, giving the vote cast, are
taken from the Wisconsin Blue Book
for 1909, Pages 1888 and las inclu-
sive.
Outasamie County.
Study the statistics In the two as
sembly districts in Outagamie county.
In the first the Republicans polled 1857
votes against 2183 Democratic. In
the Second district they rolled up only
1855 against Democratic vote of
1925. Change but 253 votes in the
First district and q in the Second,
and two more normally LaF'ollette dis
triCts are lost And In Outagamie