The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1922-06-26
Opponents See Little Likeli.
hood Of Wisconsin Senator
Being Defeated by
College Head.
Socialists to Give Aid
BY ARTHUR SEARS HENNING.
Omaha Bes Leased Wire.

Omaha Bes Leased Wire.
Milwaukee. Wis, June 2S.-Re-
nomination OF Senator La Toilette
in the republican primary Septem-
Der S is the political forecast for
Wisconsin at this writing.
Leaders OF the citizens repub-
lican conference, which selected Dr..
w. A. Garfield. president Of Carroll
college, Waukesha, to oppose La
Toilette, express the belief that La
Toilette can be defeated. but admit
that the odds are in his favor.
The editor OF a big newspaper,
identified with the anti-La Toilette
movement, tells me that in his opin-
ion the senator will be rcnominated
by the largest majority he ever re-
ceived in a primary. Another man,
recognized as one OF the moving
spirits in the committee OF a., which
called the citizens conference, put it
this way:
Has Strong Backing.
1T does not look as if we could
beat La Toilette. He will have the
support OF most OF his old personal
following, the Germans, the Irish,
the vets. the socialists and the radi-
cal farmers and organized labor"
The decision OF the socialist party
to nominate no candidate for senate
will inure to the benefit of La Fol-
lette, as was intended by the social
ist leaders. At the judicial elections
in the spring the socialists polled
10000 votes. With no contest in
their own primary, the socialists will
be at liberty to vote for La Toilette
in the republican primary. l saw
Victor L. Berger. the boss of the So
cialist party of Wisconsin, here sew
eral weeks ago, before the socialist
convention, and learned OF the in
tention to help La Toilette.
ia Toilette stood against imper-
ialism and militarism during the
war;" said Berger. That was ou,
stand. too. l could not find it in my
conscience to put up a candidate
against Bob"
No Deal Made.
Berger is a candidate for congress
from the Fifth district and may with
reason expect to receive the support
of the La Toilette republicans. al
though he denied that there has been
any deal with the senator. Berger
will be opposed by Congressman
Stafford on fusion ticket.
In the last congress, Berger was
twice denied seat, because of his
indictment and conviction for OBJ
struction of war measures. The su.
preme court set aside his conviction
on the groud that Judge Lands
should have allowed a change OF
venue. Berger does not expect to
J be tried again. His friends say he
has been promised by house leaders
that if elected next fall he will be
seated.
, The opponents of La Toilette are
whaling away at the senator on his
war record and his alleged radical
ism, but the senator has not answer
, ed them up to date. Whether this
: line of attack is making much head
way is problematical.
Not Ultra-Radical.
I recently asked La Toilette wha!
he thinks of the assertions that he
has become an ultra-radical, a boil
shevist. Narrowing those blue eyes
to Sits, shaking his gray name and
. squaring away at me like a prize
fighter, he delivered himself as fol.
lows:
For the life of me I can not per
ceive that / am one whit more radi-
cal today than I was when l entered
public life more than 40 years ago
All these years l have been fighting
monopoly and special privileges
They have taken new forms and my
fight has taken OH new aspects tc
suit the occasion.
II was reared in the atmosphere o1
the granger movement. Well I re.
member those days when Alexander
Mitchell, father of the St. Paul road
was maintaining that the railroads
> were a law unto themselves. that
none had the right to regulate them
and when the farmers of Wisconsin
. Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois began
to awaken to the problem and to
determine to organize to protect their
interests
Farmers Organized.
"The farmers of those four states
organized, controlled the legislatures
and wrote the first railroad regula-
ton laws. They elected a farmer
governor of Wisconsin just as the
Nonpartisan league six years age
> elected farmer governor in North
Dakota. Big business of those days
wrung its hands in holy horror. The
farmers were called anarchists-bol-
shevism being unknown then.
But the farmers were undeterred,
The laws they passed were the foun-
dation of state and federal railroad
regulations. The laws were upheld
by the supreme court and the roads
: were compelled to abide by them
The Iowa code probably was the
best of the four. The Iowa dis
: tance freight rate prevented railroads
from building up any one great cen
ter to become metropolis over
shadowing the rest of the state. Iowa
;; has not one metropolis, but number
of larger cities, all about the same
size. scattered through the state.
II was called radical at the be-
ginning of Jny career, for advocating
legislation now regarded as conser-
vative. l have not changed. What
l am advocating today l have been
advocating for years. But public
I sentiment is changing. am being
: called radical today for advocating
/. reforms which will he adonted in