Evening star., 1932-10-09
BY NED MCINTOSH.

ME- primaries preliminary 10 the
general elections of next month
have been rather replete with
L establishments. Maine, rock
ribbed in Republican conserva-
tism, gees Democratic with whatever
radical connotations may presently ap-
pear. Wisconsin, lair of the La Fol-
lettes hastens contritely to the con-
servative mourners' bench after 80
years of radicalism.
Now, as always, surprising political
upheavalS pillow up surprising new po-
litical figures. Possibly the most sur
prising newcomer, both to himself and
the country, is John B. Chapple, editor
of the Press of Ashland, Wis. Ashland,
on the sparsely settled shores OF Lake
Superior, has a population of 10000 or
10000 and is big town for that part
of the world. But until year ago
Chapple was hardly considered big
man even in Ashland.
Today he is about the most con-
Spicuous figure in his whole State and
an object of speculation in the Nation.
He has ousted the veteran Progressive,
Senator John j. Blaine, from the Re-
publican denomination, has pumped
the Wisconsin conservative Republican
organization full of live steam and Is
himself as good as in the United States
Senate-unless some more very strange
things happen on November 8.
Left-Winger Politically.
Chapple won by leading with his
right, so to speak. and that is a figure
of speech. In his college days, as an
amateur boxer, he was traditional
left -winger in the ring. He reached
the finals of the welterweight cham
pionship at Yale; Gilbert Colgate pol
ished him off. Also in his college days
and for some years thereafter he was
a left-winger politically. visit with
big Bill" Haywood in Russia helped
cure him Of that.
The answer to Chapple's sudden sue
cess is that he is young. even rash. and
he likes a fight In his campaigning,
as soon as he is introduced to an audi
ence he rlshes from his chair to the
f,ag-draped soapbox with the tigerish
abandon of Jack Dempsey coming out
of his corner in the Gays when Demp-
sew was Dempsey. The elder La Fol-
lette, when he used to rip his collar
from his throat with an apoplectic ges-
ture and swear to die for the people,
was not better Snowman. A crusader.
fiery-eyed and raging. is new IN con-
servatism and it took the popular fancy
of the Wisconsin voters.
Chapple is now 80 years old. The
fact that he has risen to position Oh
political eminence at sucn comparative
youth is, of course, no shock 10 WlScon-
sin. Wisconsin is accustomed to young
sters occupying seats of the mighty. The
Younger Bob La Toilette went to the
United States Senate when he was 80.
Gov. Phil La Toilette took over the CUB
ernatorial chair in Madison at "a. Ihe
La Toilette boys, however. inherited
their political prestige from father
who fought his Way up. Chapple, ike
the senior La Toilette. fought his way
almost single-handed to his present po-
sition.
Has Had Break, Too.
It is perhaps not entirely fair to say
that Chapp.e has emerged altogether by
the expedient Of pulling on his own
bootstrsps He undoubtedly has had
break. He came along just at the time
when voters were expressing mood Tor
a change Former Gov. Walter j.
Kohler. Of long and stable conservative
reputation, defeated Phil La Toilette for
the gubernatorial nomination by 1OO,-
900 votes Chapple had a margin OF
10000. The interesting and surprising
aspect is that Chapple. almost an un-
known, should have won at all.
Next to Chapple, possibly the most
surprised politician in Wisconsin over
this situation is young Gov. La Fol-
lette. for his administration at Madi-
son is responsible for Chapple enter
ing the political lists. 1t is picture
with some irony.
Chapple apparently had settled down
to making a living by running MS
fathers newspaper in Ashland, with
nothing more exciting in prospect than
playing with his kids, moving the lawn
and doing a little trout fishing. Then,
along in February of last year. Gov. La
Toilette sponsored some tax bills which
threatened industries in Ashland. Chap
pie went to Madison to protest against
these bills before the Judiciary Com
mittee of the La Toilette Legislature.
There, to his surprise, he found him.
self heckled and interrupted by COM
mittee members.
Turning Point in Career.
That was the turning point in Chap
pies career.
That performance just about took me
off my feet" he says. Il had seen the
way the Soviet operated In Russia, and
I thought to myself that this was about
the same thing as the Kremlin, except
that these birds didn't use machine
guns. Here, I had come 300 miles TO
say my say, and they wouldn't give me
a chance. So went back home to
Ashland and wrote myself good sassy
editorial in which I charged gag rule
and called some people by name.
"A few days later news dispatch
came in indicating that one of the
gentlemen I had mentioned was con-
sidering legislative subpoena to COM
pei me to go back to Madison and
justify my editorial. 1t was just 10
minutes before train time. I didn't
even wait to go home. I caught the
train and was in Madison before they
even got the subpoena resolution drawn
up Instead of being subpoenaed, had
difficulty in getting another hearing.
After some acrimonious discussion in
Madison regarding the definition of
such words as parasite rat and
'louse,' went back to Ashland. I was
convinced that the La Toilette move
ment, carried to its conclusion. was
completely Russian and I decided to
write book about the whole thing"
Chapple did write quite lot about
1t in pamphlets and in his newspaper
but it didn't attract any particular at
tention. He even sent letters to Rotary
Clubs and Chambers of Commerce
around the State. asking for an oppor-