Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1922-08-30
BOBS BUNK is FINE ART
LaFollette Has Not Advanc-
ed a Single Issue AS to
Why He Should Be Elected.

ticket? Just what may the Wis
consin voter expect from the cleo
tion of LaFollette and Blaine? The
answer ought to be in their cam
paign speeches, but it isn't. Mel
ther of them has advanced and
supported one single issue on
which the voter can put his finger
and say From this will get a
benefit"
For the first time in his career,
probably, Senator LaFollette is
making a purely negative cam
paign. Analyze his speeches, and
it is plain that they all consist in
denouncing something in such a
way as to give the impression that
the election of LaFollette will
make things right. He never tells
how it is TO be done; he offers
40 policies. In some mysterious
way the magic of LaFollette is GO
ing to fix things the way every
body wants them fixed.
Use Martyr Pose
The groundwork of this plan of
campaign is the martyr pose
Everybody is in a diabolical con-
spiracy to down LaFollette be-
cause he stands boldly and alone
as the champion of the common
people. That works two ways. II
gets sympathy for the under dog
and admiration for the defiant
hero. His speeches are built on
this framework.
An the opposition to him is sim
ister, everyone who disagrees with
him is bought and paid for. Amer
lean newspapers who supported the
American government in the war
couldn't possibly have disagreed
with LaFollette if they had not
been bought by Lord Northcliffe
and J. 7. Morgan. Does LaFollette
offer any evidence or even give
any reason why he believes this?
II isn't necessary-LaFollette says
il. His old associates and friends,
who could no longer stomach this,
all get into the grip of the big
interests. It's the LaFollette stra-
tegy to acquire merit for himself
by painting all his opponents with
forked tails and cloven hoOfs.
Nigh Apologize TO Kaiser
Read his speeches. What does
he talk about that tells why any
one should vote for him? He
talks a lot about his war record.
Everybody knows what that was.
The only reason for voting for
laFollette on that is as an IN
dorsement. If any citizen of Wis
consin who wants to tell the world
that LaFollette's position on the
war was Wisconsin's position on
the war. he can do it by voting
for LaFollette. But there won t
be much practical satisfaction IN
that for those who agree with La
Toilette. The war is over. II
can't be undone. The only pos
sible practical issue would be
whether America should send a
message something like this to
Doom:
Dear Kaiser: So sorry. We
humbly beg your pardon. Our
mistake entirely.
Is that the war issue the people
of Wisconsin are asked to vote
on?
Then there's the Esch-Cummlns
railroad act. LaFollette does con-
siderable talking about that. He's
going to repeal it. What's he go
ing to put in its place? That's
mere matter of detail for La
Toilette. not worth his while to
90 into. One of his supporters
more definite than he rs, has sald'
For this monstrOus measure
Senator LaFollette proposes to
substitute legislation which will
reduce freight and passenger
rates, squeeze the water out OF
railroad capitalization, improve
service, and insure living wages
and decent working conditions OF
railway employees.
Oh. That's Easy
Just like that. LaFollette snaps
his fingers and the millennium IS
Since that would be fore the good
of the common people, any voter
who asyed LaFollette how he IS
going to do it must also be IN