Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-12-09
SENATOR LENROOT

Friday, to speak before the New Era
club at the Presbyterian church, on
the League of Nations" The speech
was widely advertised as one which
would be purely non-partisan, and
there would be no admission charged
| The senator was also induced tC
talk before the Wausau Rotary club
This was to have been at the noon
luncheon, but as the senator was un-
able to reach Wausau in time the
luncheon was deferred until o'clock
p. M, at st. Johns Guild hall.
The senator was taken to the high
| school where he talked before the
students during the middle of the af-
ternoon. AT six O'Clock, less than 100
Rotarians and invited citizens gath
cred at the Guild hall, where the sem
ator, at the close of the luncheon, was
| introduced by L. A. PraGt, president,
in his characteristic way, which was
| throughly enjoyed. He touched upon
the days when the senator trained
| with LaFollette and was travelling
along the paths of what was termed
progressive republicanism. Mr.. Pradt
paid high compliment to the SEN
ator by likening his position in the
U. S. senate to that of Senator Spoon
er, when he was practically the leader
of that body.
Senator Lenroot talked of his first
visit to Wausau. He was touring the
state in campaign, but he understood
that Wausau was the hOt-bed of stand
patters and it was not safe for pro-
gressives to come here, hence he
steered clear of Wausau Finally an
order came for him to change his
itinerary and make a speech in Wau-
sau. He said he kissed wife and
babies goodbye and came, and he was
happy to say, he was very cordially
received. He doled out this hot shot
to stand-patters:
81 am advocating today just what i
advocated then. | have not changed
my policies, but the stand-patters
have"
Senator Lenroot, of course had to
talk on politics. because he could do
nothing else, and further he is Bit
ter partisan. He spoke upon the rail-
roads, upon the Plumb bill. and as
serted it was purely socialistic and
that he could not approve of a bill
that was too drastic for even Victor
Berger to endorse He raised his voice
in protest of the great extravaganza of
the party in power and he almost wept
over the fact that instead of reducing
expenditures in the direction of a
peace basis the administration had
asked congress to pass regular ap-
preparation bills for the fiscal year
larger by $400.000,0 900 than those of
the present year. He referred to the
presidents message and right here, he
lowered himself in the estimation of
his hearers by insinuating that the
president did not write it. The presi-
dent has been very ill, caused by the
extreme hard work and worry during
the war, and it i'll becomes man of
the calibre of Senator Lenroot to even
insinuate that the message came from
anyone but the president-but this is
petty partisan politics.
The senator alluded to Senator La
Toilette as "has been" but his en-
emies here feel that even Lenroot
could not defeat him in a race for the
". S. senate. The Pilot has always
fought LaFollette, nevertheless. there
is no getting around the fact that he
still has large following.
llGnIOOl ny Ills
side of what a member of congress
should be; that he was but a hired
man and if he was not filing the
position in a satisfactory way he
should be superseded by some one
who would.
At S:15 Senator Lenroot spoke at the
First Presbyterian church under the
auspices of the New Era club and was
greeted by several hundred people. He
was introduced by Supt S. B. Tobey,
who took occasion to compliment the
senator for his courtesy and assistance
when he went to Washington t6sobtain
permission to build our new high
school building. The senator at this
time gave valuable assistance. Sen
ator Lenroot spoke for an hour and
half in an attempt to defend the re-
publican party, represented in the u.
S. senate for the fourteen reserva-
tions passed by that body, which he
tried to show "Americanized" the doc
ument. The senator read and dis
cussed each reservation at some length
and finally, in a pleading voice and
attitude, said he was in favor of the
league of nations and hoped it would
be ratified with the restrictions, and
that he thought it would be calam-
ity to allow the questions to be
dragged into politics.
Senator Lenroot is a good speaker,
but of course not an orator of the