New-York tribune., 1920-01-28
By Carter Field

the politics OF Wisconsin is revolving.
He Is now laying plans for trium-
phant return to power. He probably
will be a candidate fer President him
self and will surely attempt to elect
Ia Follette-controlled delegation to the
Chicago convention.
In addition he will have a candidate
fer Governor to succeed Governor
philipp, who is completing his third
trrn Victory there would give the La
j gillette crowd control Of the state pat
ronage for the first time in many years.
La Toilette will also have d candidate
Tor Senator against Senator Irvine L.
.eNr0ot, formerly one OF his warmest
frsnds but who did not prove docilo
enough in 1912
While La Toilette has not said that
l'e would have his name put on the
ballot as candidate for the Presi-
dency, he is expected to do so. 1t
rcally makes very little difference,
politicians here say, whether he does
ur not. No one thinks he really has
chance for the Republican nomination,
and no one has any idea that La Fol
le,te thinks so. 1t is just q question
he can absolutely control, and having
this delegation select a national COM
Mitteemau FOR the next four years who
viii do La Follette's bidding.
Field Against La Toilette
A canvass OF the situation shows that
l.a FoIietta has slightly the best Of
his opponents so far as control Of the
delegation is concerned. The best bet
as the situation stands to-day is that
he will have amost, if not quite, as
strong q following in the twentysix
delegates as he had in 1916, when he
he'd Is out Of 26. lie has not been able
however, to develop much sentiment so
for his choice for Senator. His
James Thompson, Of La
Crosse. will. most observers here be-
licvc. be badly beaten in the Republican
primary by Senator Lenroot.
Int desperate effort to prevent La
Toilette from dominating the Wiscon-
sin delegation to Chicago. Republican
lca6ers here have resorted to plan
as old Is politics. but seldom applied
~ similar circumstances. 1t is the
he leader. Representatives of General
" ood, Governor Lowden, Senator
Harding and other candidates for the
nomlnation who have come here have
'ls agreed, so far, after consultation
With the local leaders, that the safe
ming for them to do is to stay out.
he light Will therefore be made for en-
uninstructed delegation. Chairman
George A West of the state committee.
Governor Philip, Senator Lenroot and
other prominent Republicans all think
that the best way to handle the situa-
ION
1t has been demons trated to the sat
'Ffaction OF the Presidential cand-
dates also that the only chance to stop
la folleste from going to Chicago
Tor everybody else to stay out and let
rhe local opponents of his policies fight
for an uninstructed delegation.
Wood and Lowden Leading.
We're it not for the La Toilette sit
uatioE it Is not unlikely that Wiscon-
SIN would present q favorite son to
the Republican onvention--Senator
lenroot. Mr.. Lenroot is not candi-
date, and his friends here, while they
regard him most enthusiastically as
Of Presidential caliber, are not anxious
to make trouble for him in his race
for the full term in the Senate by
boosting him for the higher Office Let
'NiS fTVHi AL ONVT LIE SldIc, however,
adicate that there is q nsiderabe
sprnkling through the state of voters
"ho would like to see Lenroot Presi-
dent.
Is between the avowed candidates
continent seems about evenly divided
Aetween General Wood and Governor
Lowden, with Wood little more popu-
lar with the people not ordinarily in
'erested in politics and Lowden more
popular with the rank and file of the
organization. All sorts of energy is
hrlng applied in behalf of General
Wood, but in the opinion of many OBJ
servers a good deal of it is being
wasted For instance, a very prom
incnt Republican here told me to-day
that three different representatives o1
General Woods organization had beer
20 his Office, within a few days, wht
knew nothing about each others &C
tivities. although all three wer,
working the same side of the street.
Very little has been done here in be
half of Senator Harding, of Ohio
Wisconsin, say men explaining VIII,
there iss less sentiment for him thai
for Wood and Lowden, Is an intensel
progressive state, and that, justly o
unjustly, Harding is regarded here a
being more reactionary than eithe
Wood or Lowdcn.
Big Four Possibilities
1t has been made clear to the head
Quarters of the various booms tha
'l,ere IS no objection to their doln
All the missionary work they wish j
thc state, and also that the antiI
toiiette leaders here will not be di,
'urbed in their fight for an unin
structed delegation by any amount O
propaganda In behalf of the individus
candidates which their workers ma
see ht TO food through the state. Tn
more OF that the better, the anti
La Toilette men say. 1t NAV all hrlr
nc earnest request is made hoveve,
;nat the candidates for delegates h
let alone, or at least be not asked :
commit themselves to anv candidat
prior to the primary at which the dale
gafes arc elected. After the primar,
caders here say. they will have ~
objection TO friends Of the various "a n
a'dates doing anything they wish I
the delegates.
Inc anti-La Follett. men ar. an hr.
"ltn their uphill fight that thcv bav
,'o TIME Tor making choice q. bs
'"cen the candidates. All haya no,
*onai preferences down underneath bu
tncy are not talking about this. an
.ney are summing absolutely anythin
'SHoteiy approaching the appearance
Of ticing themselves up.
niic no definite slate has been de
rIded upon behind which the anti-T,
foi2ette men wi'l unite, the men hair
most prominently mentioned for IN
biY rour are Governor Philipp. Geory
q. Ncst, chairman of tho statc cor,