Evening star., 1925-09-16
Politics at Large
BY G. Could Lincoln

l ~ We SOHtO LHbCOIb
Robert M. La Toilette, jr., is on his
way, In all probability, to the seat in
the Senate formerly occupied by his
1ather, the late Senator La Toilette
OF Wisconsin. II he be elected Sep
temoer ~ to that Office, he becomes
Wlsconsin's junior Senator, with
three years Of service ahead of him,
before he has to stand for reelection.
While he succeeds to the senatorial
JOB ofuhis father, who is to wear the
progressive leadership mantle of the
late Senator in Wisconsin? VIII 1t
fall on his shoulders, young though
they be. or will 1t be snatched up by
Gov. Blaine or another?
There are those in Wisconsin who
scent a coming war for this leadership
In the State between Bob, jr., and
the governor. La Toilette bears a
magic name in this State. He has
been in Washington. while Gov.
Blaine has been in Wisconsin raising
discord among the progressives. Aloof
from these factional differences so
far. La Toilette would seem to be in
better position to take the leadership
than the governor. But the gov
ernor Is ambitious. His eyes are set
also on the Senate, and he plans to
run for Senator next year when SEN
ator Lenroot, Republican, comes up
for reelection. At present Blaine is
giving his support to the candidacy
of Bob. jr. The latter, 1t has been
confidently asserted, will In turn give
his support to Blaine In the sena-
torial fight next year.
When the late Senator La Toilette
was alive. his word was law In the
Progressive party of the State, no
matter who was governor. Those
who broke with him were read out OF
the Progressive party, as In the case
OF Senator Lenroot and former Gov
McGovern. one of whom is now sup
porting Coolidge and the "stalwart"
faction in Wisconsin, and the other
Is kind OF middle f-the- roader 1t
did not matter who sat in the guber.
material chair at Madison, La Fol-
lette ruled. If La Toilette, jr., goes
into the Senate, people are asking,
will history repeate itself? The pro-
gressives, naturally, are going to
have a leader in this State, or they
are going on the rocks, sooner or
later.
In some quarters the election of
La Toilette, Jr., to the Senate will be
heralded as the sure indication of the
defeat OF Senator Lenroot next year
at the hands of Gov. Blaine. But the
facts in the situation do not warrant
any such offhand assumption. While
Senator La Toilette was alive he
sought with all his might to destroy
Lenroot politically, putting up a can
didate against him in the 1920 sena-
tortal primaries. Lenroot, however.
refused to be destroyed. He won the
primaries and he won the election as
Senator. If the progressive faction,
under the leadership of Senator La
Toilette could not defeat Lenroot.
there does not seem much reason to
believe that with La Toilette dead
the progressives can take Lenroot's 8
measure next year.
The present senior Senator from
Wisconsin is an able campaigner
With a record Of progressive leader
ship in the State Legislature, and in
the House of Representatives, where
he fought Speaker Cannon in the
great rules fight Is years ago, it is
difficult to convince great many of
the Wisconsin voters that Lenroot
does not stand for progressive gov
ernment. He is a hardy campaigner,
undoubtedly the ablest speaker in the
State. He has to aid him, too, the
fact that Blaine has raised serious
trouble for himself within the pro-
gressive ranks while he has been
governor. Some of Blaine's progress
sive enemies may not vote for Len
root. They may not vote for the
governor, either. La Toilette, jr., Is
despite his youth, this year than Gov
Blaine would have been. it is freely
said here, and Lenroot will certainly
be stronger regular candidate for
the Senate next year than Roy P.
Wilcox is today
Of the primary campaign for the sena-
torial nomination in Wisconsin just
closed was the frank confession by
Senator Lenroot Of the way in which
candidates for Office were picked by
the La Toilette progressive organiza-
ton in the old days when Lenroot
himself was a leader and one of those
in the inner councils. He charged
that a small group Of the leaders,
three or four, got together behind
locked doors in the capitol, at Madi-
son, and then and there decided who
should be run for office by the pro-
gressives. Their names were put for
ward and the progressive voters in
vited to go into the primaries and
vote for them. Lenroot made this
statement while he was giving a pic
ture of his conception Of the way
La Toilette, tr., was decided upon as
the candidate Of the progressives for
the senatorial nomination this year.
There were present." he said in
this speech, which he made through
out the State during the campaign,
Gov. Blaine. Herman L. Ekern,
nd nf,ah n N,,,
gresham Nelson to act as secretary
After the governor had locked the
doors he moved the nomination of
Mr.. La Toilette for candidate for the
senatorial nomination this year. He
voted aye and SO did Ekern, and Mr.
La Toilette, since his name was up, re-
Trained from voting. The secretary
declared 1t a vote. The same progress
was gone through in determining that
Gov. Blaine should be the candidate
for the Senate against me next year,
and Ekern should be the candidate
for governor"
way the so-called Madison ring" does
business caused chuckles of joy from
the ''stalwart" audiences.
With Robert La Toilette, jr., as a
publican ticket, talk OF the formation
of new liberal party to challenge
the Republican and Democratic par
ties is at lower ebb than ever. The
Socialist mayor of Milwaukee, Daniel
w. Hoan, is attacking the La Toilette
faction vigorously for what he terms
the desertion Of the movement started
by the late Senator La Toilette a year
ago for a new party, with which the
Socialists were ready to throw in their
lot. On the other hand. the La Toilette
people declare that there exists no
third party today and they We're en-
tirely within their rights when they