Evening star., 1935-08-25
BY DUNCAN AIKMAN.


NU has the New Deal highway?
IV Huey Long was pioneering up
= an exciting bypath even be-
fore the present route was surveyed
in the 1882 campaign. The
brain trusters," during their honey
moon journey with craftsmanship
along the main route, found a new
one almost daily-sometimes several
q day.
Various interesting groups, like the
California Epic, the Utopian Society,
the Townsend Planners and the House
Of Representatives mavericks" have
found them, sometimes studded with
posters advertising technocracy, social
credit, American party socialism. Oc-
casionally there have been symptoms
that various Democratic Senate lead
ers In Washington have been looking
for a detour back to Jeffersonianism.
But do any Of the forks leads to-
ward a revised Republican credo-a
new Interpretation of Herbert Hoover's
doctrine Of rugged individualiSm"2 ?
After a few days in Wisconsin and a
series Of conferences with actors,
spectators and objectors in the State
political pageant, including Gov. Philip
La Toilette, 1t Is possible to suspect 1t.
Premier New Deal State.
Technically Wisconsin is the premier
New Deal State. 1t is the only Com
monwealth whose official leaders, Sem
ator Bob and Gov. phil La Fol-
lette, have been singled out for acts
and expressions of administration
favor despite nominal partisan differ
ences with the President This is a
huge distinction in the Farley era, but
in a sense Wisconsin has earned it.
Wisconsin invented New Dealing,
with the current evils and dislocations
Of individualistic capitalism, as far
back as the first gubernatorial term
OF the late Senator Robert M. La Fol-
lette, more than 80 years ago. In the
warfare against emergency" since
1888 no State has bettered the Wis
consin record in compliance with
Washington's war measures"
No Open Riffs With White House.
Although both generations of La
Follettes have been notorious political
individualists and last year organized
their new Progressive party to prove
1t, there have been no open riffs with
the regimenting spirit in White House
politics. In fact, the brother Progress
sives have stood ready at times to
deliver to the President even more
than he asked. When Mr.. Roosevelt
last Winter wanted $4,000, ,000, 900 for
work-relief Senator Bob wanted to
make it $4,000 ,o0o, ,o00 Last Spring
moreover, the White House found oc-
casion to praise Gov. "Phil's" famous
Wisconsin plan" for co-ordinating
State activities under the work-relief
appropriation as a model of State CO.
operation. The wisconsin plan" SUBJ
sequently was defeated by Republi-
can-Democratic coalition with a ma
jority of / In the State Senate, but
that scarcely weakened the bond be
tween Madison and Washington.
Strength Of Alliance.
The current strength of the Ii
Toilette Roosevelt alliance is to b
measured, in fact. by something ever
more tangible than President Roose.
velt's kudos to Senator Bob's senate
rial campaign last year-in which he
was opposed by an ostensibly orthodox
Democrat-and by the frequent
friendly exchanges Of ideas between
the White House and the executive
mansion in Madison. The Wisconsin
Democratic organization is splitting
fury over it. Having lost the Gov
ernorship to Phil La Toilette in 1884
because, as 1t figures things, of Presi'
dent Roosevelt's kind words for Bob
senatorial campaign, the Democratic
leadership feels itself cheated by it!
own people out Of the one chanc'
for power and patronage that ha!
come to it in two generations. Con
sequently, the considerable Demo
cratic bloc in the Legislature is di
vided principally over the question o
whether 1t finds more pleasure in kill
ing La Toilette or Roosevelt meas
ure.
Reservations" Evoke Surprise.
Under these circumstances, it !
something of a surprise to find tn
New Deal banner being carried by tn
La Follettes in Wisconsin with reser
vations. Yet reservations and symp
toms Of reservations stick out owe
Madison as palpably and almost a
numerouSly as evidences of the pres
ence of the University Of Wisconsin
The official acts and statements of tn
Phil La Toilette administration ar
full of them. They bristle in the franl
and often sardonic talk of the Cover
nor's political encourage. and especiall
they speak out in the divergences from
Washington precept and practice ex
pressed in the conversation of Gov
Phil himself.
The Governor, in fact, makes n
bones about admitting that his mail
course of action Is toward goals ira
ditionally associated with Republican
party policies, and that whateve
smacks of socialistic RECOMMENDATION o
ultimate communistic purpose in tn
administration leaves him cold. Philil
La Toilette, to be sure, does not openl,
take issue with the Roosevelt regim
in washington or directly criticize IL
45-minute interview the other da,
he did not, except when the Subjec
was forced on him, refer to it excep
by inference.
Tr,,i porL for CavernaP