Evening star., 1925-06-18

more than a boy. Facing battles
such as few, If any, of his political
cotemporaries were compelled to
fight. he served three terms as a
member of the House of Representa-
tiveS and three as Governor of Wis
consin, was four times elected 10 the
United States Senate and finally be-
came an independent candidate for
President in 1924.
Perhaps few American public men
ever drew such bitter criticism as
was heaped upon Senator La Toilette
during and Immediately after the
World War, and certainly none could
have been more stanchly defended
by his friends. His speeches and
public policies had been the target
for widespread denunciation previous
to 1917, while the great conflict was
raging in Europe, but the crisis came
when he voted against America en-
1ering the struggle when the Lusi-
tania outrage and other violations of
our neutrality were still burning in
the public mind. He was hanged in
effigy and even threatened with eX-
pulsion proceedings in the Senate, but
in the 1922 elections he was sent back
TO his place in Washington by a tre-
mendous majority.
thrice Sought fFesfuencF-
Thrice Senator La Toilette was
placed in nomination for the presi-
dency in Republican conventions-in
1908, in 1912. when he charged Theo-
dore Roosevelt with promising to sup
port him and then becoming the Pro
gressive candidate himself, and again
in 1916. In each convention La Fol
lette had the support of a small but
intrepid bloc of delegates, as he did
in the 1920 and 1924 Republican con-
ventionS when he received handful
of votes. although not formally
placed in nomination.
Nominally a member of the Repub-
lican party, Senator La Toilette was
best known for his leaning toward
progressive or radical policies and fo1'
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 Senate
and House defying Republican leader
ship, had demonstrated they held the
balance of power. The report was
prevalent that although he had been
desperately Ill he would seek the presi-
dency as an independent or as the
head of a new party, but the Senator
himself steadfastly declined to dis
close his intentions.
The Republicans in convention at
Cleveland having selected Coolidge as
their standard bearer after rejecting
the platform demands of the Wis
consin delegation, La Follette's ad-
herents issued a call for convention
in the same auditorium several weeks
later.
Enters Race as Independent"
Urged by delegates to this confer
ence that he accept their Endorsement
as d presidential candidate, he sent
word in a message which berated both
the old parties that he would enter
the field as an independent. Declara-
ton of his candidacy came on In
dependence day, with the Democrats
in their New York convention still
balIoting for a presidential nominee.
His decision injected him into the
campaign as a full-fiedged candidate,
with Senator Burton Is. Wheeler. a
Montana Democrat, as a running
mate, and President Coolidge as his
Republican opponent and John w.
Davis his Democratic opposition.
The campaign which followed saw
Senator La Toilette, in spite of his
60 years, take the stump VIGOROUSLY
He addressed large gatherings in the
Eastern and Middle Western and some
of the Western States, speaking with
much of his old.time fire. His attacks
were delivered against both Republic
an and Democratic nominees for
President. While he ran on a third
ticket" his hope was the establish
ment of a new liberal party as an
outcome of the campaign. for he re-
allied that there was practically no
chance of his election.
In the early days of the campaign
the La Toilette sentiment in the
Northwest and in some of the West
ern States, including California, ran
very strong. But as the campaign
drew to a close the sentiment swung
strongly toward President Coolidge,
and in the final count Senator La
Toilette received only the electoral