Evening star., 1924-10-19
WISCONSIN FIGHT
ENTIRELY LOCAL
La Toilette Will Win Unless
Great Upset 0ccurs-BIaine,
However, Faces Fight.
Special Disrsa tch to The Star.

u
MADISON, Wis, October 1S.-In
the Nation at large Senator r. NJ.
La Toilette and Gov. John J. Blaine
regale the voters by charging corrup-
tion and official misconduct against
the administration. At home the
La Toilette Blaine regime is charged
with series of offenses similar to
those leveled against the Coolidge
administration.
Judge Martin L. Lueck, the Demo-
cratic candidate for governor. is at
tempting to block the way of Blaine
to a third term by an exposition of
what has occurred in Blaine's two
completed terms Blaine is the La
Toilette candidate.
Lueck is hammering Blaine for the
suppression of a legislative fnvesti-
cation into ALLEGED official miscon-
duct during the legislature of 1928.
The resolution to investigate was
offered by Senator II. ]. SeverSon. a
La Toilette lieutenant, to bring to
light "malfeasance and misfeasance.
1t was defeated by one vote.
Four Given Posts.
|. "Of four Senators who voted
against it," -Lueck points out. "one
has been appointed on the highway
commissions one a member of the
retary of the Civil Service Commits
sion. one a deputy in the insurance
department. If any of us offered a
legislator money to influence his vote
1t would be bribery, and it is no diff
ferent if the votes of Legislators are
influenced by appointment to remu-
nerative public Offices
Judge Lueck makes variety OF
other charges against the La Toilette
nro ;c irer ho
Civil Service Commission for political
purposes in violation Of law, by the
appointment of three Republicans to
the three commissionerships, when
the law says that only two may
belong to the same party. he charges
reorganization of the important con-
servation commission to provide a
job for lame duck. He says huge
State treasury surplus is maintained
and shifted into banks of the State, to
the incidental profit of State OFF,
cials and their friends.
Neither Senator La Toilette nor
Gov Blaine has uttered word in
reply. Gov. Blaine finally departed
from the State to tour the East for
Senator La Toilette. The inference
is that he regards his election as as
sured, regardless of the truth or
falsity of Lueck's charges.
Charges Blaine Ducks.
Judge Lueck comes right back with
the charge that the governor is
"ducking" the Wisconsin campaign
because he cannot meet the issues.
The Blaine-Lueck fight is virtually
the only diversion the voters of Wis
consin have this year. There is moth
ing to indicate that the presidential
contest is more than perfunctory
Coolidge managers are making a
fight. but only a radical stroke of
good fortune could turn the State
their way Davis adherents are
less active than those of President
Coolidge.
In the governorship contest con-
ditions are not conclusive. In view
of the fact that the La Toilette
Blaine machine will endeavor to turn
to the governor every vote that goes
to La Toilette, the election of a
Democratic governor would be sur
prising, but it would not be i'm
possible. Coolidge men do not be-
lieve they are bound to vote for
Blaine-that has been emphasized by
Senator l. l.. Lenroot and former Gov.
Philip, and the Coolidge vote will
go to Lueck. Gov. Blaine is at outs
with many voters who are support
ing La Toilette, and he has lost
the Socialist support he formerly re-
ceived Lueck's worst handicap is
the weakness and lack of organiza-
tion in his own party
]. c.. RALSTON.