The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-03-05
HULL SEEMS TO Be IN LEAD.
Former Speaker of the Assembly is Get
ting United Support of the Members
of the Party Who Are Ready to Get
Rid of Party Strife.

:, i
solve itself into contest between
former State Senator William Henry
Eatton of New London, speaker of the
Assembly NE. Hull of Black River Falls,
and lsome candidate who will break in
to the field for the gubernatorial nomi-
nation under conservative republican
banner. An out and out LaFollette
movement in support Of some candi-
date such as G. FL. Grownhart of the
Wisconsin labor commission does not
seem probable. Two reasons for this
exist. In the first place it looks as if
Senator LaFollette did not care at this
time to personally give his backing to
a movement for strictly LaFollette
candidate for the republican guberna-
torial nomination, and in the second
place the LaFollette leaders seem to
recognize that too great division of
their strength at this time might aid
the hopes which the stalwarts are
cherishing of riding into power in the
party through the medium
of the high taxation issue.
The LaFollette republican leaders
in Madison seem themselves to have
abandoned all idea of a LaFollette re-
publican candidate, and very little talk
is heard in regard to such a candi-
dacy among the republican leaders to-
day. In fact, the conversation of the
chiefs here is slowly but
surely drifting toward Mr.. Hatton and
men who few weeks ago were show
ing very little friendliness toward Hat
ton as candidate are now openly
his cause and have in the
brief space of thirty days discovered
gubernatorial qualifications in Hatton
which they seemingly were not before
aware existed.
1t is understood that both Messrs.
Hatton and Huh, in talks with both
Senator LaFollette and accredited rep
resentatives of the senator, have been
given very plainly to understand that
SO far as Mr.. LaFollette is concerned
he will take no active part in the re-
publican primary election campaign to
the extent of giving his endorsement
to any candidate for governor. This
means, of course, as between candi-
dates who have previously been LaFol-
lette men. It is not the intention Of
Senator LaFollette to allow any Of his
oldtime political enemies, the stall
warts, to slip into the republican CUB
ernatorial nomination if he can pre-
vent it. In fact, one of the reasons
which the LaFollette leaders in Madi-
son are giving why they have abandon
ed their desire for an out and out La
Toilette candidate for the guberna-
torial nomination is the fact that if
such a candidate should be brought in
to the field in view Of the stalwart re-
publican movement now on in this state
it might mean that the stalwarts would
be successful and secure the nomina-
tion Of the candidate whom they
supported.
Senator LaFollette knows what the
results would be should the republican
organization in this state again pass
into the control of the stalwarts and
he does not intend to allow this if he
can help it. One of the towers Of La
Toilette strength in this state the past
ten years has been his control Of the
ron,, 1o1ioar Communication an5 - =; :.
power that he does not intend shall
pass from his hands. With either ex-
Senator Hatton or Speaker Hull as the
republican gubernatorial candidate
Senator LaFollette would have no fear
of the republican organization being
in really unfriendly control.
AS between Merlin Hull and State
Senator William Ell. Hatton as guber-
material candidates there appears to be
very little doubt that down deep in his
heart Mr.. LaFollette really prefers the
candidacy of former State Senator Hat
ton. On the other hand, if this pref
erenee is given any ostensible recogni-
ton it will be very carefully done and
in much the same way that the senator
expressed his preference for the nomin-
alton of Mr.. Hatton in the senatorial
contest of 1908, when there was no
question but that Senator LaFollette
preferred Mr.. Hatton as a senatorial
candidate to Gov. McGovern, but did
not feel in a position to make public
his preference beyond telephone COM
munications to some of his followers
asking them to give their support to
Mr.. Hatton rather than Gov. McGovern.
As a matter of fact also this method
of campaigning did not prove very eff
fective. The Hatton people were in
no position to point to the support of
Senator LaFollette as the McGovern
people could claim it publicly with as
much show of right as could the sup
porters of Senator Hatton and it is a
fact that there were many people in