Daily Kennebec journal., 1925-06-19
Sketch of Career

troversy throughout the nation and
In his home state of Wisconsin for
more than a quarter of a century,
Fighting Bob" the name by
which he was known to political
friends and enemies alike, was a title
well earned almost from the moment
ne stepped into the political arena
when scarcely more than boy. Fac
lEg battles such as few, If any, of
his political contemporaries were
compelled to fight, he served three
terms as a me mber of the House of
Rt Representatives and three as Gov
ernor OF Wisconsin, was four times
elected to the United States Senate,
and finally, became 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 staunchly defended
by his friends. His speeches and
public policies had been the target
for widespread denunciation pre-
vious to 1917, while the great conflict
was raging in Europe, but the crisis
came when he voted against Amer
lea entering the struggle when the
Lusitania outrage and other viola
tions of our neutrality were still
burning in the public mind. He was
hung in effigy and even threatened
with expulsion proceedings in the
Senate, but in the 1922 elections he
was sent back to his place in Wash
ington by a tremendous majority.
Thrice Senator LaFollette was
placed in nomination for the Presi-
dency in Republican conventions
in 1908. in 1912 when he charged
Theodore Roosevelt with promising
to support him and then becoming
the Progressive candidate himself,
and again in 1916. In each conven-
ton La Toilette had the support of
a small but intrepid bloc of delegates
as he did in the 1920 and 1924 Re-
publican conventions when he re-
ceived handful of votes, although
not formally placed in nomination.
Noninally a member of the Re-
publican party, Senator La Toilette
was. best known for his leaning to-
ward 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 associates-an ilsurgent
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 Re-
publican leadership, had demon
strated they held the balance of
nnrt
that although he had been desper-
ately i'll he would seek the presi-
dency as an independent or as the
head of a new party, but the Sena-
tor himself steadfastly declined to
disclose his intentions.
In stature he was a figure to at
| tract attention. His build was short
heavy and exceptionally strong, with
powerful arms. He wore high
heavy pompadour above deep-set
sharp blue-brown eyes with over
| hanging brows; and had a broad
high forehead, prominent aquiline
nose and mobile mouth.
In public address, Senator La.
FolIette's delivery was dynamic and
dramatic always, with violent ges.
lures and penetrating voice. When
he warmed to an oratorical effort
he had a habit of tossing back his
pompadour with a quick, sharp jerk
| of the head and running his fingers
through his thick locks. His speeches
| often lasted for hours, especially his
| filibusters in the Senate.
| Senator LaFollette derived his
! name from ancestral stock of French
| Huguenot refugees. His Kentucky
father, Josiah LaFollette, and his
mother Mary (Ferguson) LaFollette
were pioneers in Wisconsin, where
they went from Indiana. Their chill
dren were reared in the face of .lov-
erty, but all were able to attend the
rural schools.
Elected governor Of Wisconsin ir
! 1901 on a reform platform, hi
launched a fight against railroad in
fiuence in politics, and also led the
movement for the direct primary
law, adopted by the Wisconsin legis.
lature in 1904. He was electedf tc
the senate the same year and resign
ed from the governorship.
| AS a presidential candidate Sena-
tor LaFollette began an active cam
paign for progressive support ir
| December 1911 but while speaking ir
Philadelphia the following February
he collapsed after long address ant
many of his supporters turned tt
Roosevelt. He continued his cam
paign but 1t was a hopeless enter.
prise.
During his early service ir
the senate, he won prominence BY
repeated forays against "specia
| privilege" and special interests" IL
tariff and other legislation. He broke
with President Taft in 1911 AID op-
posed the administrations Canadian
reciprocity treaty. He was an early
! advocate of woman suffrage, labor
| legislation and taxation of the veal
| thy classes. Later he advocated re-
! call of judges and judicial decisions
and came out in favor of rationale
| ing the railways.
Always a champion of labor, the
| LaFollette seamen's law, designed te
safeguard the interests of American
seamen, probably is the most import
ant measure bearing his name. La
| Dor formed the nucleus of the sup
port to his independent candidacy
for the presidency.
, The domestic and private life OF
Senator LaFollette might be termed
ideal. At the age of rs he married
Miss Belle Cas- of Baraboo, Wis, and
from that moment she became mis-
political as we'll as his personal part.
ner. She took an active part in all
his campaigns, served as his secre..
tary whila he was In the House ano