Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-02-14
TIE OSBORN EPISODE.

q meeting at Lansing, the state
capital, several weeks ago, in which
ne made some criticism Of Senator
LaFollette az a presidential candidate
and stated that as between Taft and
LaFollette he was for Taft, anu
further stating that he did not believe
Mr. LaFolIette could be nominated
for the presidency nor elected if
nominated.
Incidentally The Teller takes
whack at the editor Of The Herald,
whom 1t says published and APP
proved this speech" and that the
evident reason for such approval was
the fact it was made in abuse of
LaFollette.
The Teller knows that such
statement has no basis Of fact or
truth. The speech WAS published in
The HeIald's news columns purely as
a news article, exactly as it was
printed in hundreds Of other papers
throughout the country, as it was sent
out with other general news by the
news gathering associations. Il was
the sensational political event of the.
week. No editorial comment, either
favorable or UnfavorabIe, was made
concerning it in these columns.
The Teller did not print the speech,
from which It's readers might form
their own opinions, but it made
lengthy and unfavorable editorial
comment in which it called the
governor a choice lot of abusive names
and attributed all sorts of Interior
motives to him Ii was to such
as this that the editor of The Herald
took exception and spoke in defense Of
the governor, who mas for many years
been his friend.
Our comment had nothing to do or
say concerning Senator LaFollette,
against whom we have never printed
an unkind word There is much
about the senator that we find to
admire and approve On the other
hand we do not feel, as our neighbor
the editor of The Teller seems to,
that he is the acme of human per-
lection and that all wisdom and
goodness and greatness begins and
ends in him. He has his faults, and
many of them, one of which is attack
upon others who do not absolutely
agree with him and his dictation.
lie The Teller considers that the
governor s speech was abusive, what
docs it think of Senator LaFolIette' 8
llast public address, made at the
Publishers banquet in Philadelphia a
few nights ago, In which the senator
was an honored guest and speaker. on
which occasion he delivered bitter
diatribe against newspaper men to
such an extent the toastmaster felt
called upon to take the extraordinary
step of reproving the speaker for his
attack and even the senator's own
secretary, Col Hannah, afterward
made public apology
Gov. Osborn. while stating his
preference for another candidate than
Senator LaFollette for the presidency,
spoke very kindly Of the senator
personally, as he is quoted in his
speech when he said
81 have known Senator LaFollette
and of him for thirty years, or ever
since he made his fight for attorney of
Dane county against the machine Of
Boss Keyes. I have followed his career
always with admiration and approval.
Never have / discovered in my mind
single thought Of what might be in
terpreted as condemnation Most Of
my appreciation Of him grows out or a
defense of him on my part at every
time [ have heard him criticised.
nave always believed him to be entire
ny honest and [ believe he is honest
now.
fright here let me state, so that
there can be no misunderstanding
about it. that if he is nominated for
president (which at this moment hope
he will not be) | viii give him my
earnest and active support and will re
quest my friends everywhere to sup
port him with earnestness and devO-
8ion."
In pointing out. however, some of
the things which he did not admire in
the senator S career, he alluded to the
occasion on which Philetus Sawyer,
then United States senator from
Wisconsin and also bondsman for
:goodly sum for one or more delinquent
state treasurers against whom legal
action was pending, solicited the aid
of Senator LaFollette, to prevent his
losing heavily in the matter.
LaFollette refused and made a pub
lished statement charging that Sawyer
had tried to bride him. Sawyer stated
that be had offered to retain La
Toilette as an attorney. Osborn's point
was that having charged bribery Mr..
LaFollette should have prosecuted
Sawyer on the charge or else he
should have accepted it as a matter