The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-06-18

Mr.. La Toilette remains for every.
body most puzzling character. He
also remains one Of the most con.
troversial problems in all American
history.
A certain place, nevertheless, is
most certainly assured to him in
American history, and 1t Is a unique
place.
Mr.. La Toilette is the greatest
combination ever known in America
Of professional office-holder and Of
voice in the wilderness.
Most voices in the wilderness,
most radical YeformerS, do not
politically know enough to come in
out of the rain or even how to
raise an umbrella in it.
La Toilette is boss of his State.
He is able to make his law partner
Republican national committeeman
from his State. He is able to make
his son Republican State chairman
within his State. He is able to do
anything that any other State boss
can do-and today more.
He is today the greatest State
boss in America, since the death Of
Boise Penrose of Pennsylvania.
Penrose was fond of La Toilette.
He always was wanting to do favors
to La Toilette. La Toilette was
always spurning the favors.
Once Penrose leaned over his desk
and said to La Toilette:
Say, now. Bob! What can do
for your"
La Toilette leaned back over the
desk and said:
iii tell you. Nothing"
Admired By PenrOse
1t was significant about La Fol-
lette that Penrose liked him. Pen
rose liked the professional politician
in him. He liked the hard.boiled
manager of elections in him. He
liked the thing in him which makes
him able to roll up majorities of
100000 for himself in his State.
IT also nevertheless was significant
about La Toilette that Penrose's
advances to him were rejected by
him.
The competent professional poll.
tician in La Toilette attracted PEN
rose. Then the voice Of the wilder
ness in La Toilette, the radical re.
former in La Toilette. rose within
La Toilette and thrust Penrose
away from him.
Let us first then consider the
professional politician part Of La
Toilette.
This writer knew him first two
decades ago when he was governor
Of Wisconsin. He then already had
spent two decades in politics.
Forty Years in Office.
This year Is La Follette's fortietn
anniversary Of being an office.
holder.
He was district attorney Of Dane
county, Wisconsin, in 1884. Then
soon afterward he was Congress.
man in Washington.
He got appointed, in those old
far-off days, in his early youth, I'd
the best committee inethe House of
Representatives.
He got appointed to the Ways
and Means Committee. On that
committee, as the head of IL, Inc
found William Mckinley, subse.
quently President.
Side by side with William Nc.
Kinley. La Toilette, with his own
youthful unregenerated hands,
wrote a considerable number of the
textile schedules of the good old.
fashioned high.tariff Mckinley Bill.
He was then a quite fairly ortho.
dox old.line Republican.
Learned Practical Politics.
He knew the greatest Speaker Of
the House OF Representatives that
the Republican party ever had -
Tom Reed Of Maine. He knew the
greatest organizer that the Repub.
lican party ever had in all its day
Of being the Grand Old Party, Mark
Hanna of Ohio.
He today never speaks harshly
Of those men. He speaks of them
even tenderly.
He viii talk sometimes about the
y.