Evening star., 1924-09-17
Politics at Large
BY N. O. MESSENGER

national politics. Battling Bob" as
the doughty Wisconsin Senator is
called by admirers in his own
| State, Is to take the aggressive in his
presidential campaign and is likewise
to have the guns Of the opposition
trained upon himself with increasing
drumfire
He is to invade the enemy's country
tomorrow. whittier his running mate,
Senator Wheeler. had already preced
ed him. opening In New York with
| the principal speech Of his campaign,
which is to be sent out by radio. The
Republicans have given him plenty
Of advance advertising. If they want
ed to get the country's attention TO-
| cused upon him and interested in
what he may have to say, they have
made good job of ii. Candidate
Dawes sailed into him in his own
State in lively fashion. President
Coolidge, while not naming him, in
his Baltimore address on the protec-
| tion of the Supreme Court made it
clear whom he was pointing to-"
National Chairman Butler of the
Republican committee, in a 10-page
statement, under the heading of DE-
bunkfng Senator La, Toilette" chal-
lenged the facts" set forth in the
Senator's first speech on the alleged
control of the country by the .svs-
tenn"
Then Sunday came the attack upon
him by the original Progressives. who
resent his taking over their title Of
Progressives
IL
There is no question that "Battline
Bob rs due to get plenty of battle
from now on, especially on his pro-
posed line of attack on the Sunreme
Court He has shown a disposition in
recent weeks to soft-pedal this par
ucular policy Of his original adop-
ton, along with Government owner
ship of railroads, but he will not he
permitted to do So
The country is to have this oues-
tion kept before its eyes in glarine
neaoilnes from now until election
day AS the La Toilette strength
among the voters has shown such
development as the campaign pro-
crosses. the seriousness of the pro-
posal TO undermine the basis of eyery
mans liberties by an insidious So
cialistic doctrine, has burst upon
statesmen and politicians and voters
with appalling forcefulness in it's
menace and il is due to be grappled
with in deadly earnest.
X =: X
1T is not a riot, sire. it is a revo-
luton" may yet be ascribed to the
proposal involved in the La Toilette
movement. The La Toilette suppor-
ters contend that it is to be voted
by the people themselves if they want
IT, but that does not alter that fact
that its essential feature involves a
complete revolution in our system of
Government and that fact is to be
brought to the attention of every
voter in the country. man and
woman. by the campaigners between
now and November 4.
X X
The latest claim Of the La Fol-
lette people is that he will be espe-
cially strong with the woman voters
because his program carries many
features of proposed legislation upon
which they are especially insistent.
He does not, however, stand for any,
thing really progressive that the
Democratic and Republican platforms
do not favor as we'll, and the women
are to be told that nothing offered
them could compensate for the taking
away of their rights vested in them
ard their children by the Constitution
of the United States and their pro-
lection from the whims of popular
majorities.
The vote of women, once they are
thoroughly grounded in what is at
stake. may contribute to the saliva
ton of the country from the socialist
menace which is before 1t in this
campaign The campaign Of educa-
n ic a N dC
and effort will not cease from now on.
The politicians report that the
trouble they find in combating the
La Toilette movement is that too many
folk regard ii as not being serious.
People are reported prone to say, 1T
is unthinkable that such doctrines
should prevail in this country" 1t
is recalled that is what was said
Of prohibition. 1t was "unthink-
able" Yet it happened.
* X X X
Here is little side-lght story on
the campaign. One of the moving
picture concerns is trying to get out
a stunt, taking advantage of the
recent improvements in synchroni-
zing actions and gestures to the
words of photo plays, by having the
presidential candidates. all of them,
expound their doctrines by this
method.
Senator La Toilette is said to have
grabbed at the idea. 1t would be nuts
for him. He is nothing il not dra-
matic-finished actor. To see him in
action, emphasizing one of his as
sertions of doctrine would be calcu-
lated to be very effective. His ac-
tions would be as vigorous as his
assertions.
But how would President Coolidge
come out in that kind of a picture?
it is asked. He does not make dra-
matte assertions, it is argued. He
makes cold statements of what he
believes to be economic facts, de-
pending upon their analysis to bring
conviction. And as for dramatic ex-
preston, can you visualize him in a
characteristic La Toilette drive from
one side of the stage to the other?
So the Presidents friends are hoping
he will not fall for the plan. The
same feeling is entertained by Mr..
Davis friends, as to his disadvantage.
* X X
Here is a question that is caus-
ing perturbation among the Repub-
licans. Does there exist an under
standing between Senator La Toilette
and Candidate Charles w. Bryan for
cooperation to throw the election of
Vice President into the Senate. with
the result that Mr.. Bryan would be-
come President of the United States
and Senator La Toilette the power
behind the throne? Many politicians
feel that Senator La Toilette really
does not expect to win a majority
Of the electoral college, but he is
terribly in earnest in support Of his
policies and doctrines and in seeing
them carried out, even though an
other had to do it.
Rumors have already come out of
the West that Bryan Democrats are