Evening star., 1925-09-02
Politics at Large
BY G.. Could Lincoln

all his eggs in one basket, and is
keeping his eye on that basket. he
is sticking strictly to his effort to win
the Republican nomination at the
primaries September Is, and has de-
clined to file as independent candi-
date for the Office so as TO run even
If he be defeated in the Republican
primaries. The date for filing as an
independent expired August 80. His
failure to f1e as an independent is In
contrast with that of Roy P. Wilcox,
the regular" Republican candidate
for the nomination, who has tiled q,
petition as an Independent candidate
which will enable him still to make
the race il he is defeated in the pri-
maries. Former Gov. Francis Il.
McGovern, who also is a candidate
for the Republican nomination, like
La Toilette, is entered only in the
Republican primaries. Daniel Wood
ward also has filed for the primaries.
In a measure, the failure of Mr.. La
Toilette to file as an independent re-
fleets the confidence felt by his sup
porters in the outcome of the prima-
ries. Advices received here from
Representative John NJ. Nelson, who
was the campaign manager of the
senior La Toilette during the presi-
Dental campaign last year, ca lare
that Bob La Toilette, jr., is mn ing
a sensation as a campaigner and that
he will carry every county in Mr..
Nelson's congressional district. Mr..
Nelson has accompanied La Toilette
on part of his stumping tour.
\ x
With the stalwarts"--the oppo.
nents of the La Toilette wing of the
Republican partYHdivided among
themselves. it seems that La Follette's
victory is certain. The La Toilette
people themselves, however, are not
taking any chances of defeat through
the overconfidence route. They are
working like beavers.
The, strategy of the regulars in the
event of La Follctte's nomination will
be to divide the Republican vote in
the election. which Is to take place
September %, and thus bring about
the defeat of La Toilette II possible
Rather q Democrat in the Senate than
a La Toilette. A failure by La Fol
lette now smashes the progressive
machine
The Democrats have but one candi-
date for the senatorial nomination in
Wisconsin, William George Bruce
Their hope is to elect him by means
of split Republican vote in the cleo
tion. John Work is the Socialist
candidate.
There are four independent" csndi-
dates in the field besides Wilcox in
the event of his losing the Republican
nomination. They are Edward F.
Dithmar, a Coolidge-Dawes Repub-
lican; Arthur r. Barry, who declares
himself a La Toilette progressive;
Gilbert Sitter, Republican, and George
Bowman, Socialist Labor The race
promises TO be hard fought right up
to the end.
Rumors that Senator William NJ
Butler of Ma ssa chusetts, chairman of
the Republican national committee.
would permit himself to be appointed
Secretary OF War to succeed Secre-
tarY Weeks, also of Massachusetts,
who is expected TO retire this Fall on
account of ill-health, have not been
confirmed up 10 date. Senator Butler,
before he left Washington, declared
he would be a candidate TO succeed
himself. He now holds the seat for
merly occupied by the late Senator
Lodge under appointment by Gov.
Fuller Ii is we'll understood that
former Senator David /. Walsh, Demo
crat, will be candidate for the Sen
ate against Senator Butler next year,
and a strong candidate. Abandonment
of the senatorial contest now-for it
.has really already begun-in the view
Of some of the Republican politicians
here-would be confession of weak
ness on the. part of Senator Butler
which lie would not be likely to make.
In addition to this it is well under
stood that it is vitally necessary the
Republicans elect ii Senator in Mas
SachuSetts next year. The control of
the Senate is threatened by the Demo
Gratis in the election of 1926. What
other candidate could the Republicans
put forward who would have az good
chance to win against Senator
Walsh as Senator Butler? Senator
Butler has the earnest support of
President Coolidge, whose campaign
Senator Butler so successfully man.
aged last year. He is chairman of the
Republican national committee which
gives him a distinct advantage poll
tically. Nor Is Mr.. Butler the kind of
man who would yield merely because
he faced a stiff fight.
On the other hand, if the Repub-
lican powers become convinced that
Senator Walsh cannot be beaten. they
might prefer to offer up some other
Bay State Republican as a sacrifice
and save Mr.. Butler from defeat, at
the same time preventing a Demo
cratic victory where President Cool
administration might suffer as i re-
suit thereof.
The candidacy of Gov. Clifford
Pmchot of Pennsylvania for the Re-
publican senatorial nomination next
year against Senator George Wharton
Pepper is now regarded as practi-
cally certain. The governor is stress
ing prohibition enforcement and
giant power" The latter is a fur
ther development of the old principle
of conservation of the resources of
the public domain, of which. as chief
forester and follower of Theodore
Roosevelt, Gov. Pinchot was an
ago, when conservation was a big
issue. Giant power is Gov. Pinchot's
substitute for superpower The only
distinction between the two is that
giant power proposes that the power
developed through the waters of the
Nation shall be held and used by
the people instead of coming into the
possession of great private corpora
tions. The Pennsylvania governor
has written letters to members of
Congress and other leaders in the
West urging them to support the
giant power plan as against the
superpower system. He charges that
an effort is being made to monopolize
the electric power of the country and
declares that such a monopoly would
obtain stranglehold on the life of
the country. Cheap power and cleo
tricity through a great system con-
trolled by the Government for the
people, he holds, will solve many
problems for the farmers of the coun-
try.
In some quarters this activity on
the part of Gov. Pinchot is seen as
an attempt TO seize the leadership of
the progressive forces Of the country.
1t may be that such an ambition is