Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-21
The BADGER State.


! group been more hardly pressed. Dur.
ing the World War. it is true, tn.
! "stelwarts' swung into control. Bu'
that control was temporary. and tht
late Senator La Toilette was reelected
10 the Senate IN 1922 and gained asair
his political sway in the State With
j the death Of Senator La Toilette ir
1925. predictions we're made that tho
progressive grip on the Badger State
would disintegrate. A real effort was
made to prevent the nomination OF his
son, Robert NJ La Toilette. jr.. in 1925
but without success. Again, the stall
warts tried IN vain to renominate and
re-elect Senator Lenroot in 1926. Sem
ator Blaine, La Toilette governor, de-
fcated Lenroot with the aid of Senator
La Toilette.
But at the same time Senator Blaine
was elected, the Ia oiletts otgaAi41,.3n
slipped an important cog. They failed
to elect their candidate for governor
and Zimmerman won. zimmerman
claimed to be an original La Toilette
progressive. But he D4tvsr4y opposed
the organization which the younger
La Toilette, Blaine and Herman L.
Extern have sought TO maintain since
the death OF the old Senator. 1t is no
secret that the stalwarts Two years ago
threw their support to Zimmerman and
beat Ekern thereby. This was the hrst
real setback the La Toilette Ufgan.1a-
ton had following the death OF the
senior Senator.
This year the staiwarts were in a
position 10 profit SILL further by the
ruction in the ranks OF the progrcsSi 'cs.
They put forward Walter j. Kohler, a
successful business man, as their candl-
date for the Republican nomination
for governor. With Zimmerman seek
INC denomination as q progressive anu
Beck, the La Toilette progressive cam
didate, dividing the opposition, kohlet
was nominated. Shrewd politics on the
part OF the slalwarvs.
the sCaIWar,S haze further SHOWN
their strength IN the recent SAFE con-
veution. ana for the first time have pre-
vented the adoption OF the progressive
platform. While they were effective 10
ibis extent, the progrcssivcs succeeded In
electing Herman l.. EEern as chairman
of the Republican State committee, I'm
Ger the circumstances, Mr.. kchier is
not relyin2 to a great extent upon the
cooperation Of the State committee IN
his campaign for election in November
but is retaining much of the same or
pan;zation with which he won the Re-
publican gubernatorial nomination. But
the stalwarts have slight majority IN
the membership of the State committee
over which Ekern will preside, which
makes the situation still more mixed.
Senator La Toilette, jr., has been re-
nominated in the Republican primary.
His reelection seems foregone conclu-
sion. He has not only pleased his con-
s:ituents by the manner in which he
has conducted himself as Senator in the
last three years. but he has winning
name in Wisconsin.
The rumpus in Republican State poll
tics In Wisconsin has real bearing this
year on the national ticket in that State
The progressive hate" toward the regu-
lar Republicans burns more intensely
than toward mere Democrats. Probably
the progressives would prefer to see
Democratic governor elected rather than
have Kohler in the statehouse. Senator
Blaine has already declared that his
friends will support Smith for Presidens
against Hoover. Senator La Toilette,
however, has given no such counsel y
his supporters. He has said nothing In
slpport of either Hoover or Smith, and
the impression gains ground that he
will continue to say nothing. If the
Democrats should indorse La Toilette
for Senator this year different situa-
ton might prevail. and the progressiVes
might seek to throw their whole strength
to the Democratic ticket, State and ma
ticnaI. A dangerous game, however, and
one that the senior La Toilette did not
play. He stuck to the Republican party
throughout his long career, except al
the end when he sought the presidency
rs an independent progressive-not as a
Democrat.
The sole hope of the Democrats for
their national ticket in wisconsin Is
progressive support. There have not
/ been enough Democrats in that State
in recent years to fill good sized soup
can. The question in the minds OF the
most astu:e progressive leaders, however
may we'll be whether. having once raised
| the Democratic party ia Wisconsin,
/ they will be able to thrust it back into
oblivion after it shall have served the
purpose OF defeating the Republicans.