Evening star., 1936-10-03

House of Representatives, to elect q
majority in both houses of the State
Legislature, and to carry the State for
the whole Progressive ticket, all down
the lines
Gov. Philip La Toilette has been re-
nominated. He has against him q Re-
publican and q Democratic candidate
for Governor. If he can hold on to
the solid La Toilette progressive
strength and there is no considerable
coalition of Republican and Demo-
cratic strength, centering, for example.
on the Republican candidate for
Governor, he should win.
Two years ago, when La Toilette
offered himself for the first time as
the candidate for Governor Of the
newly born Progressive party, thou
sands Of Republicans fiocked to the
polls and voted for schmedeman, the
then Democratic Governor, in the
hope Of preventing q return of the
La Follettes to power in State govern
ment. La Toilette was elected with a
plurality of only l3,600. In that same
year, Senator Bob" La Toilette was
reelected. He had q lead Of alt, 900
over his Democratic opponent, and
a lead Of 10000 over his Republican
opponent. In 1884, the Socialist
party, which is strong In Milwaukee,
put a candidate for Governor in the
field. He polled $1,000 votes. This
year the Socialists are hooked up with
the La Toilette progressives, the Farm
er-Labor party, and q number Of farm
organizations in what Is called the
Farmer-Labor Progressive Federation.
They did not put q gubernatorial can
didate in nomination. 1t Il figured
that many of those votes will 60 to
Gov. La Toilette.
Gov. La Toilette has not, himself,
Joined this federation. Nor has the
federation Endorsed his candidacy for
Governor But neither did it indorse
any other candidate, thereby leaving
all its members free to support La
Toilette. As La Toilette got the
Progressive nomination without op-
position, he is expected to have the
united support Of these groups in the
federation. And 1t Is rumored that
La Toilette had influence enough with
the federation to prevent any inclu-
sion Of production for use" plank
in the platform of the federation,
which was sponsored by some Of the
more radical members, including the
Socialists.
Federation in Line.
This Farmer-Labor Progressive Fed
Grafton Is in line with the whole effort
to build q national progressive party
in 1910. Then, too, the La Follettes
are uniting with the Non-Partisan
Labor League in the effort to win re-
election for President Roosevelt. And
the Non-Partisan Labor League, like
the La Toilette Progressives of Wis
consin, has In back of its mind 1910
and new liberal party in which labor
Is to play . major part.
The retention of power in Wisconsin
by the La Toilette progressives, it is
clear, becomes Of paramount i'm
portance, . major link In the chain
which it Is hoped will end In the crea-
ton between now and 1910 of q new
liberal party. That Is the broader
aspect of the campaign being waged
in Wisconsin just now. The La Fol-
lettes, quite humanity, have also and
prominently in mind the need for
keeping their own political fortunes
alive by . victory for Gov. Phill,"
and the election Of others on their
ticket.
The more conservative elements IN
the State, represented by the stall
wart" Republicans and some OF the
Democrats, are sick Of the La Fol-
lette rule in Wisconsin. They would
like to end it. Furthermore, the
Democratic party, the general run
of-the-mine Democrats, are Jealous Of
the La Toilette progressives. They
would like to run the State themselves.
And furthermore, they do not look
with any favor on the Il Toilette pro.
gram for q new national liberal party
in 1910. The Democratic party rather
to be considered the liberal
party Of the Nation, or at any rate