The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-06-25
LaFOLLETTE-A NATIONAL
PERSONALITY, DEAD

When Robert LaFollette, Senior
United States senator from Wisconsin
passed away at his Washington home
Thursday of last week one of the
most striking and forceful personal
tiles ever developed in American po-
litical life was called to his reward.
He first became a national char
acter as governor of the Badger
state. He began his real fight there
for state or governmental regulation
of railroads and large business inter-
ests. Until the campaign last year
he was ranked as Republican, al
though for the past decade his party
affiliations slipped away after he had
been returned to the United States
Senate by the people of his state.
Whatever else can be said of Eight
ing" Bob LaFollette he kept ever
lastingly at it. When Uncle Sam
became embroilled in the World War
LaFollette was a storm center. A
speech delivered in st. Paul while the
war was on brought about inpeach-
ment proceedings in the U. S. Senate.
Many of the senators undoubtedly
bitterly opposed the propaganda La
Toilette was spreading. They knew and
loved him as a man; they recognized
his sincerity of purpose and his fight
ing qualities. They condemned his
stand but when it came to vote to
place the stigma of Impeachment up
on their friend of long standing
and that was quite another matter
and the impeachment proceedings
were quashed.
Wisconsin has been famous for
years for the strength of her person
al political machines. LaFollette, pro-
fitting by the experience of previous
( machines, gathered about him the
strongest personal organization ever
built in any commonwealth in this
country. Many of his followers were
attracted through loyalty = others
fear, because Fighting Bob" was a
relentless foe.
The Herald expects to see Wiscon-
sin pass out of the so-called Radical
control with the death of their lead
er as there is no one in their ranks
with the personality and ability of
LaFollette to keep it together.
In the United States Senate he was
the acknowledged leader of the Third
al ~ OioS. IlIo SIIeHStu was sui l.
cient last year to form coalition
with the Democrats to practically take
the organization of the United States
Senate out of the hands of the Re-
publicans. There are other men in
the United States Senate who ape the
LaFollette characteristics but there is
not one who comes within a gun-shot
OF possessing his ability and resource
fulness.
Men of the LaFollette type are
needed in the American public life.
They do not usually accomplish all
they set out to do, but they keep the
opposition on the anxious seat every
minute of the time.
The Third Party lost another of
their strong men in the U. S. Senate
when Senator Ladd of North Dakota
died in a Baltimore hospital Sunday.
The greater part of Senator Ladd's
life was spent in educational pursuits.
AT the time of his elevation to the
Senate he was Dean of the Agricul-
tural College of North Dakota. Po
lltlcally he worked more along theo-
retical than practical lines. If the
Governor of North Dakota has the
authority under the law to appoint
Mr.. Ladd's successor another Third
Party man will be named. Good at
torneys in North Dakota insist that a
Special election will be necessary. In
this event Republican will more
than likely be named to succeed the
late Mr.. Ladd.