The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-06-13
NATION WATCHING OUTCOME
Political Writers Say Neither Taft Nor
Roosevelt Can Hope to Garry Wis
consin at Coming Election Income
Fight Is Proving Big Factor.

tanning d lou o. c0uI0fC OUT Oh SGdGe-
ment sent from Madison by one of the
political dopesters in which he de-
clares that it is all but certain that
the Democrats will carry Wisconsin
this year. Here is the line Of talk
handed out in the statement
1t begins to look as if Wisconsin
would be one of the states Of the
union which would be watched with a
great deal of interest by the politi-
clans of all stripes in the coming cam
paign. To begin with, it is ackuowl-
fedged by persons with political dis
cernment that this state is almost GER
tain to change from the Republican
column to the Democratic column this
fall. It is surprising how political
leaders of the Republican party admit
this. The conservative Republican
leaders are perhaps more frank than
their halfbreed brethren, unless those
halfbreed brethren are of the ultra
LaFollette stripe. The conservative
leaders make no bones of their belief
that if anybody but President Taft is
nominated by the Republicans that the
state will certainly line up in the
Democratic column.
AS regards the result if President
Taft is nominated the conservatives
say they do not know what is likely
Ito occur, but they claim that the en-
tire conservative vote will be alienated
from any one else who is mentioned
as a candidate. The halfbreeds who
are not closely allied to Senator La
Toilette say President Taft is certain
to be defeated but that if the Repub-
Leans nominee is either Theodore
Roosevelt or Robert M. LaFollette
they will sweep the state for the Re-
publican party. The ultra LaFollette
men claim no one will have any show
in the state as a candidate for presi-
dent except Senator LaFollette.
The real truth about the matter is
that the entire Republican party in
this state is in state of utter dis
organization and there can be no ques-
ton if the election were held tomor-
row the state would go so overwhelm-
ingly Democratic that it would be in
the nature Of landslide. Whether the
after the Republican national conven
ton and put the party back in some
thing like its usual fighting shape
is question which only time can ans
Wer. From present indications such
reorganization is impossible and the
Republican politicians have not any
great hopes Of securing it. They
know the Republicans have really no
great chance for success this fall.
They cannot help but see that at best
the outlook is very Democratic. In
the first place there is without ques-
ton more Democratic sentiment than
usual this year. There is a. feeling
throughout the entire country of dis
satisfaction with Republican rule.
This has been shown clearly in
other states and there is no question
that this feeling extends in a great
degree to this state. There is a gen
eral belief that the Republican party
is not able to cope with the tariff
situation and that there can be no ma
terial reduction of the tariff if the Re
publicans remain in power. Then
there is more or less a feeling of dis
gust on the part of the people at the
way the two Republican factions are
fighting and feeling that it may be
well to get rid Of both of them.
In Wisconsin, however, there are To-
cal phases that are more pronounced
than ever before. There is no ques-
tion that there is no state in the
union where the factional feeling has
been higher than it has been in this
state. There are at least $4,000 con-
servative Republicans in this state
who have for ten years been more or
less out of touch with their party.
Although this number is smaller than
many of the conservatives think when
they are discussing what conserva-
tive bolt would accomplish, it means
a considerable vote and even should
it just fail to go to the polls because
not in sympathy with either pro-
gressiye Republican or progressive
Democratic party it would cut some
figure. As TO the halfbreeds, there
car be no question there is a very con-
siderable portion Of the voters of this
state who are really in season and out
of season supporters of Senator La
Toilette. These voters have not really
in their hearts very much more use
for Theodore Roosevelt than they
have for President Taft. In fact,
down deep in their hearts, like Sena-
tor LaFollette, they are probably