The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1922-03-09
"BOSS RIDDEN"

publican candidates for governor, Sc
cretary of state, attorney general
and one congressman. They will
meet later to select the remainder o
the ticket
Takes you way back when Henr.
C. Paine ruled the republican roost
doesn't it? Heavens, what rube
we were way back there when WI
used to let 'em get away with tn,
coarse stuff! Who dug the old an
achronism out of the files? Ii
those days they herded us to the
polls and the boss watched to SCI
that we voted the right ticket. Mus
be news item clipping from paper
twenty years old.
But no, friend reader, it is not. II
is news item relating what happen
ed at the Wisconsin capital in this
year of our Lord 1922 Friday, Marct
3. The politicians were Senator
M. La Toilette and half dozen o1
his hand-picked advisors. They pull
ed this stone age stuff On US right
under our noses. Seven men named
our candidates for governor, attor.
ney general and secretary of state
| in secret frame-up with self-assur-
ance that would have made Mark
Hanna ashamed of himself. Look
at this piece of insufferable imper-
tinence straight. DID YOU have
voice in picking these men? DID
| you?
Twenty years ago Senator La Fol
lette, in a spectacular and tremen-
dously important campaign, knock
ed "gang rule" in this literally "boss
ridden" state into cooked hat, ano
set up the primary law. No more
should handful of politicians usurr
the sovereign right of the people to
select their own officials to man the
agencies of government
And what has become of the pri.
mary?
| 1t has become a primary to de-
eide whether the party nominees
shall be one or the other of two tic
kets in the selection of which the peo.
pie have had no voice whatever.
For1it is a solemn act that until
they read of the accomplished fact
in the newspapers, not man or wo-
man in Wisconsin had even heard OF
the mysterious meeting of self-ap-
pointed dictators who selected the
peoples candidates for them last
Friday.
The old caucus system was bad
Caucuses were often packed. The
ward4heelers had a way of doing
things. For the most part the
bosses ruled. But the people had q
chance with the caucus system
When they were aroused, they coulc
nominate their men. Senator La
Toilette was nominated for congress
by a convention under the caucus
system. He was nominated fol
governor under the caucus system
although it took him six years. Anc
when the La Toilette of those days
could be nominated by the caucus
SYSTEM the people had chance.
But what chance had the people
last Friday. Caucuses had to b.
advertised. People knew about
them. But none knew about LIZ
Follette's Nominating bee until it
was over and the polls were closed
1t was a secret, private meeting
Even if the people had known about
it, they couldn't have gotten in. They
could get. into the old-time caucuses
They had chance, perhaps slim
chance, then. They have no canc'
at all now. Taxes mount, farms gt
| to pot, the only prosperous people
are the armies of politicians in fa
Offices drawing salaries paid by TIN
impoverished taxpayers. And al
/ we are permitted to do is to vot'
for Office seekers picked for us b!
office holders who, when we ask fol
bread, give us political speeches. I
is the bunk!
Twenty years ago we had "Boss'
!, Keyes, an iron man of the old politi
cal school. Today we have "Boss
La Toilette, an iron man of the nev
political school. Keyes was cza
, in his way, but probably never ap
| preached in despotic power tha
welded by Senator La Toilette to
, day.
: For Keyes was only straw-boss
while La Toilette is real boss. TIL
railroads made Keyes, and he wa
, boss only to do their will. But L
Toilette made himself, and does onl
his own will. He is all-powerfu
while Keyes could have been IN