Fergus County Democrat., 1911-05-16
LA TOILETTE AND TAFT.

cut candidate Tor the nO1nlnauOll lOl
the presidency next year. There IS
now being waged in New Jersey a
most spirited contest between the fol
lowers OF the Wisconsin senator and
President Taft, says the Helena In
dependent. New Jersey has been TOT
many years the most trust-rldden
state in the union, but its power was
greatly lessened in a complete change
of sentiment last year when Wood
row Wilson was elected governor, the
first democrat to be chosen to that
office in that state for many years.
Senator LaFollette, since he has been
in the senate, has made number OF
speeches in New Jersey in opposition
to the trusts, and has thereby built
an unusually large following. The re
publicans there regard him i'll the
same light as one standing for the
people as do the democrats with ref
erence to Woodrow Wilson
Senator La Toilette is the choice OF
the republican progressive league, of
which Senator Bourne, Of Oregon, is
the promoter. For the past SIX
months. the league has been indus
triouslv engaged in advancing the for
tunes Of Senator La Toilette il all OF
the states. The activity which has
been taken on in New Jersey pro
4 :, ,1,or vote nf 10
contest that the La Toilette people
are putting into force The Wiscon-
sin senator is by no means friendly to
President Taft, either politically or
rsonally The breach came about
when the senator made 50 pronounced
an opposition against the passage OF
Mr.. Taft's railroad bill, which was
drafted by Acknowledgement Wicker
sham in the interests OF the roads.
Little Bob" fought the railroads in
Wisconsin when he was governor
most effectively, during which time
he was able to have legislation passed
regulating them, forcing them to pay
eral, bringing about relief to the
shippers in the curtailment OF rates.
In the senate, he demanded from the
beginning, the physical valuation of
roads, which greatly offended Mr.
TAFT and the entire administration.
The president on more than one oc-
casion has ignored the senator in the
matter OF appointments III Wisconsin,
appointing those to office who are La
Toilette enemies.
The senator, OF course, regarded
this as an act upon the part OF the
president to injure him in his own
state and ii possible lessen his politi
cal power and influence The pro
gressive league has already been III
strumental in building up a most for
midable following for Senator l.;
Toilette, and at the same time work
ing great injury to the president. es
pecially in New Jersey, where TIL
Taft administration is discredited ia
more than one might imagine, whe
taking into consideration the nun
Der of people i'll that state who ar
welded to the interests OF the trust
AS the situation appears today, NJ
Taft will not, by any means, secul
a denomination without having to pr
Up fight for it that will be memo
able in the annals Of the republic;
party.
There are other elements, howeve
in the party that are opposed to NJ
Taft's denomination. The presiden,
position on the question of reciproct
of which he is the author, is alienatii
many of the standpatters from h
banner President Sherman
already out against the renominatio
OF the president Sunny Jim is
intereststatesman who has ever be,
faithful to the combination OF capit
and is, as consequence, bitter in /
hostilities to the president on t
question OF reciprocity. Mr.. Sherm
is of the belief, apparently, that
should be selected as the republic
candidate and is already engaged
creating sentiment for himself a
against the president in New Yo
The vice president is still sore o,
the defeat that was administered Il
last fall by Colonel Roosevelt i'll ov
throwing him as the presiding Off
OF the Saratoga convention. FRI
that time until election day, Mr.. Sh
manwas very much down and out, |
the triumph of the democrats at
polls did not do him as much dana