The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-09-20
WOODROW WILSON
CARRY WISCONSIN
(By John Mclaughlin

time to time by various democratic
leaders more perhaps, in a spirit of
hope than because of any particular
knowledge of the conditions in this
state. The more familiar one becomes
with the situation, however the clear
er becomes the conviction that the
prediction is well founded.
The gfame of politics in Wisconsin
is played by experts. There are more
shades OF political opinion in Wiscon-
sin militantly expressed, than in prob
ably any other state in the union. The
electorate is free and outspoken and
party lines are not regarded seriously.
1t is a progressive state. Indeed,
Wisconsin folk are found of saying
that Wisconsin is the most progress
sive in the county; that it is the moth
er of progressivism. During the long
agitation measures that have made
him national leader in his party, he
had no stauncher supporters than those
he found in the democratic party.
There are democrats who have not ap-
proved Of what LaFollette called fair
minded democrats" but the disapprov-
al of the old-line democrats did not
deter many thousands of democrats
from supporting and voting for the
LaFollette program. Indeed Col.
Bryan himself gave the fair minded
democrat" the stamp of his approval
and more than once came into the
state to urge support for LaFollette
policies.
All this is in the past. The LaFol
lette program has been written into
the law and customs of the state.
Many of the reforms which have been
brought about in Wisconsin had been
advocated for years by the democrats
and today the democrats of Wisconsin
are as progressive as the electors of
any state. That is why in this cam
paign the randidacy of Woodrow Will
son will receive such support in Wis
consin. The LaFollette republicans
have always stood for practically the
same things that the democrats have
stood for
The LaFollette republicans have not
failed in every test during the last
four years to show disapproval of the
present republican administration.
Two years ago there was organized a
so-called Taft republican campaign un-
der the direction of E. L. Phillip of
Milwaukee and w. d. Connor of Marsh
field, to capture the republican pri-
maries. The report of the committee
in charge of this campaign showed
that over 100000 was expended in six
weeks before the primaries. The Taft
republican candidate, Ed T. Fairchild,
of Milwaukee, was defeated by an
overwhelming majority by the LaFOl-
lette republican candidate Francis E.
McGovern, the present governor
The campaign was made on a
straight issue of Taft and his record
up to that time. There had been a
convention at which Vice President
Sherman and Ex-Congressman Watson
of Indiana eloquently pleaded for en-
dorsement of the party's titular leader,
President Taft The resultes Of the
primaries. therefore, cannot be re-
garded as anything but a complete re-
pudiation of Tafgt and his policies be
cause the candidates whom Vice Pres
ident Sherman asked the people to
vote for were simply showed under.
All this is by way of recalling signif-
cant events which bear upon the pres
ent situation During the last few
years Senator LaFollette himself both
in his speeches in the senate, on the
chautauqua platform, and in his paper,
"LaFolette's Weekly" has criticised
President Taft and ridiculed his pre-
tensions to progressive republicanism.
Senator LaFollette's paper has lam
pooned and cartooned the president
week after week, holding him up to
public scorn and proclaiming him a
reactionary and willing tool to the in
terests. The action of Col. Roosevelt
in snatching the support of the pro-
gressive republicans from Senator La
Toilette prior to the Chicago conven'
ton and his conduct toward LaFol
lette during and since the republican
convention have aroused the bitter en-
nifty of LaFollette to such an extent
that the Wisconsin senator has camp,
ed upon the trail of the "Usurper
with the avowed purpose of bringing
about his defeat.
Thus We find Senator LaFollette
standing in magnificent isolation" a
republican without candidate whom
he can support openly or even vote for
secretly. 1t is not to be expected that