Evening star., 1925-07-03
WISCONSIN CHAOTIC
UNTIL BLAINE ACTS
Governors Own Ambitions
Said to Be Cause of Delay
in Calling Election.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
Staff Correspondent of The Star

MADISON, Wis, July 3.-Chaos is
the only word to describe the political
and senatorial situation in Wisconsin
that has been left by the death of
Robert Marion La Toilette. 1t applies
the Senate seat now vacant. Two ele-
ments of complete uncertainty exist.
One is whether Mrs. La Toilette, the
late leaders widow, or her son,
Young Bob" is to be a candidate at
the special election which the Wis
consin law provides for. The other is
when Gov. John J. Blaine will call a
special election, or whether he will
call it at all. The law is permissive,
not mandatory.
The governor. if he wishes, can let
things go over until the general con-
gressional election of 1926. In that
event, Wisconsin would have but one
United States Senator. Irvine l.. Len
root, in tbs SiXty-ninth Congress. I'm
til Mrs. La Toilette and Young Bob"
are back from Washington, in a week
or so, their end of the situation will
not be cleared up. Meantime Gov
Blaine is preserving a silence that not
even his most intimate political asso-
ciates have been able to penetrate
His detractors say it is characteristic
of his indecision and procra stinating
habits AT any rate, he has political
Wisconsin plunged into the biggest
guessing contest on record.
Progressive Movement at Stake.
There are as many angles to the
posthumous La Toilette crisis as can
be counted on the fingers of two
hands. AS far as Wisconsin Progress
t,ix 81,
the whole future of the movement
is involved, with personal ambitions
briskly at work. Gov. Blaine has
long bent his energies in the direc-
ton of La Follette's successorship.
both in the Senate and in the leader
ship of Wisconsin Progressiveism
He would undoubtedly be an avowed
candidate for the place now but for
the fact that the La Toilette family
has not yet relinquished its claim
upon 1t.
Rlaine's chances for the senator
ship, and all that goes with it, would
undoubtedly be better if he could put
them to the test at once than II he
waits. as he otherwise will do. to run
against Senator Lenroot in the Re
publican primaries and at the gen
eraI election of 1926. Lenroot's
strength, bulwarked by the support
of the Coolidge administration. is
fully recognized by the La Toilette
party. What deters Gov. Blaine
from entering the race for the un-
expired La Toilette term is the fear
of offending the La Toilette family
and the tremendous La Toilette fol-
lowing in the State. 1t would be
fatal to any Progressive to do that
Bob" Expected to Run.
The general expectation is that
Young Bob" and not his mother,
presently will be an avowed candidate
for his fathers seat at a special
election to be called by Gov. Blaine
later in the year
Nobody in Wisconsin questions
Mrs La Follette's consummate abil-
ity. AS the lifetime political partner
of her husband, she is credited, de-
spite her years, with the talent and
capacity to represent the State in
the United States Senate. But the
consensus hereabouts is that the
son, despite his youth, would on the
whole perhaps be of more effective
service to Wisconsin and to the
Progressive cause generally Mrs.
La Toilette is thought to share this
view.
Though La Toilette leaders feel
Continued on Page 4, Column 81