Evening star., 1924-09-22

party, and to the Populist party and
insist that without La Follettee the
movement will melt into thin air.
But so encouraged are the Inde-
pendent Progressives today that def
mite plans for the formation of the
proposed new Liberal party, with
organizations in all states. are de-
me that the La Toilette Wheeler
electors in each state will be the
members Of each State organization
after the election. These electors, he
pointed out, will represent so many
thousands of votes in their States.
Something definite and tangible. He
insists that Senator La Toilette is in
good shape and capable of years of
service for the Liberals. Should
anything prevent his carrying on,
another leader would arise.
The two most vulnerable points of
the La Toilette platform, some of his
supporters have admitted, are his as
sault on the Constitution through
the courts and his proposal that the
government shall own the railroads
and operate them. With regard to
the first point, neither the Lutherans
nor the Catholics, and there are many
of both in Minnesota, like the idea
of taking from the Supreme Court of
the United States the power to pass
upon the constitutionality of laws
enacted by the Congress or the State
Legislatures.
Want Schools Protected.
They are particularly interested in
maintaining their parochial schools,
run by the churches. They fear that
some day a State or the Congress
might enact laws prohibiting such
schools. For the same reason that
they oppose the establishment of a
Federal department of education, un-
der which they think the church
schools might be injured, they oppose
the LIE Toilette idea with regard to
the courts.
Incidentally, a Lutheran told me he
understood that Preside Mt Coolidge
and many other Republicans had
been for the Department of Educa-
ton bill and that La Toilette was
opposed to it. Since Senator La Fol-
lette and Senator Wheeler in their
recent speeches have modified the
court proposal, pointing out that all
they ask is referendum of the
question to the people, both the
Lutherans and the Catholics have
felt better regarding the La Toilette
candidacy.
La Toilette is being supported by
a very large number of the members
Of the railroad brotherhoods. They
played a large part in bringing
about his nomination at the Cleve-
land convention, but the fact of the
matter is that many of these railroad
employees who believe in La Toilette
and who want him for President look
askance upon the Government owner
ship and operation idea. In the first
place they are gettink good wages,
better than employees of the Govern
ment in comparable jobs. In the
second place. as one conductor said.
II am against putting the railroads
under political machine. Just be-
cause a man has a political pull is
no reason why he should be put in
charge Of a railroad or any part of
one"
Not Afraid of Platform.
"Well." 1 asked. "why are you sup
porting La Toilette, then. with his
government ownership platformT
oh" he answered, la Toilette
won't put the roads under Govern
bent operation and he's a friend Of
the railroad employees and always has
been" not a very logical statement
but typical of the feeling of many
of the railroad employees. They want
La Toilette and believe that the ques-
tlOn OF Government ownership or the
railroads is not so imminent as
might be supposed should the Wiscon-
sin Senator be elected.
OF course the railroad operators
are fighting La Toilette as vigor-
ously as they can. That is true of
big manufacturers, particularly in the
steel industry. They are anxious to
see La Toilette wiped out politically.
They do not want to see the estab-
lishment of a new liberal party at
the expense of one or the other of
the old parties. Some day they fig
ure such a liberal party might come
into power and the results for big
business would not be SO good.
In Wisconsin the manufacturers
are pointed to high taxes as a rea-
son why the Wisconsin leader should
not be elevated to the Presidency.
But while taxes are admittedly high
there. property is just as valuable as
elsewhere, the business of the State
is good and the State does not. owe
a penny. 1t is operated on the cash
and carry plan. The high taxes re-
suit very largely from the charges
placed on the people by the various
municipalities.