Seward daily gateway., 1925-06-19
LIFE HISTORY OF
 LAFOLLETTE IS
 GIVEN IN DETAIL

Perhaps few American public men ever drew such bitter criticism as was heaped upon Senator La Toilette dur ing and immediately after the World War, and certainly none could have been more staunchly defended by his friends. His speeches and public policies had been the target for wide spread denunciation previous to 1917, while the great conflict was raging in Europe, but the crisis came when he voted against America entering the struggle when the Lusitania outrage and other violations of our neutrality were still burning in the public mind. He was hung in effigy and even was threatened with expulsion proceedings in the Senate, but in the 1922 cleo tions he was sent back to his place in Washington by tremendous ma jority.
 Thrice Senator Lafollette was plac- ed in nomination for the Presidency in Republican conventions-in 1908, in 1912 when he charged Theodore Roose- welt with promising to support him and then becoming the Progressive candidate himself, and again in 1916. In each convention La Toilette had the support of small but intrepid bloc of delegates, as he did in the 1920 and 1924 Republican conventions when he received a handful of votes. al though not formally placed in nomina- tion
 Nominally member of the Repub- lican party, Senator LaFollette was best known for his leaning toward progressive or radical policies and for his lifelong fight against trusts and monopolies. Throughout his public life he was continually at odds with his party leaders and most of his as- sociates-an insurgent of insurgents in his home state and in the national capital.
 La Follette's insurgency reached a climax in 1924. His followers in the Senate and House, defying Repubh- can leadership, had demonstrated they held the balance of power The re- port was prevalent that although he had been desperately ill he would seek the presidency as an independent or as the head of new party, but the Senator himself steadfastly declined to disclose his intentions.
 The Republicans, in convention at Cleveland, having selected Coolidge as their standard bearer after reject ing the platform demands of the Wis consin delegation, La Follette's ad. herents issued call for a convention in the same auditorium several weeks later. Urged by delegates to this conference that he accept their en- dorsement as presidential candidate he sent word in a message which be- rated both the old parties that he in- tended to enter the field as an inde- pendent. Declaration of his candi- dacy came on Independence Day, with the Democrats in their New York con- vention still balloting for a presiden- tial nominee.
 His decision injected him into the campaign, as a full-fledged candidate. with Senator Burton K. Wheeler, a Montana Democrat, as running mate and President Coolidge as his Re- publican opponent and John W. Davis his Democratic opposition.
 Born on farm near Madison, June IA, 1855, La Toilette was a contem- porary of Cleveland, Harrison, Nc Kinley, Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson and Harding, as we'll as "Czar" Reed, J. G. Blaine and Mark Hanna.
 In stature he was figure to at tract attention. His build was short, heavy and exceptionally strong, with broad chest, wide girth and power ful arms. He wore a high heavy pompadour above deep-set, sharp blue eyes with overhanging brows; and had a broad, high forehead, prominent aquiline nose and mobile mouth.
 In public. address, Senator La Fol lette's delivery was dynamic and dra- matic always, with violent gestures