Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1924-06-06
CLEAN HOUSE
OR Be OUSTEO
La Toilette Tells Two Old
Parties in Letter
REPuDIATEs COMMUNISTS
St. Paul concIsve Is Plot BY Moscow
To Split Prouresslves, He Says
Waits on Big
Parties.
REPuDlATEs COMMUNISTS

Washington. Breaking the
long silence Of past months con
cerning his political plans, sena-
tor Robert NJ. La Toilette Of Wis
consin, in a statement issued from
his Office, virtually cast his hat
into the ring as an independent
candidate for the Presidency.
The Senator's announcement was in
the form Of a letter to Attorney Gen
eral Herman Ekern, of Wisconsin, one
Of bis trusted friends and advisers.
1t was written from Atlantic City.
where the Senator has been recuper-
ating for several weeks, following a
severe attack OF pneumonia.
It is a clear reputation Of efforts
to drag him into the gathering to be
held in st. Paul on June IL The
Senator denounces this meeting be-
cause the convention will contain a
representation OF communists directly
afiliated with the Soviets of Russia.
Not only does he declare he will
have nothing to do with the ST. Paul
meeting, but his letter urges all true
Prcsrcssives to keep away from it,
The Senator also called upon the
Republican and Democratic parties to
cleanse themselves Of "the evil in
nuences which have long dominated
them" This cannot be done, he said.
"by merely nominating some alleged
Progressive and filling the platform
with misleading promises"
Here is the most significant state
ment in La Follette's letter, one which
is generally construed as an announce
ment Of his willingness to become an
independent candidate:
"If this is not done (the cleansing Of
the old parties) a long suffering and
righteousiy Indignant people will find
in the coming campaign means, indie
pendent Of both these old parties. to
take back control Of their Government
and make it truly representative
The "means" which La Toilette had
in mind is considered by all political
observers to refer to the possibility
that he may himself become a candi-
date on platform which all Progress
sives and those dissatisfied with con
ditions in the old parties can support.
La Toilette. In his letter. made it
plain that he will walt until the Re-
publican and Democratic conventions
have named their tickets before he
will take any further steps or make
another announcement. 1t is under
stood he is looking forward to the
Progressive gathering in Cleveland
or July for concentration of the
plans which he may have in mind
toward becoming candidate That
he will reject an Endorsement by the
convention which is to meet in St.
Paul was emphatically stated in his
letter.
On It's face. the La Toilette letter
purports to answer a request from
Ekern that the Wisconsin Senator
states his attitude toward the St. Paul
gathering.
In his letter Senator La Toilette
called on his friends to stay away
from the st. Paul convention. which,
he says. will not command the sup
port of the farmers, the workers or
other Progressiyes, because those who
have had charge OF the arrangements
for this convention have committed
the fatal error of making communists
an integral part OF their organization. =
La Toilette declared the Commun-
lists have entered into a conspiracy,
directed from Moscow, to disrupt and
divide the Progressive movement in
the United States, as a means of fur
thering their ultimate plan to estab-
lish Soviet form Of government and
dictatorship OF the proletariat.