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Show EDITORIAL YOUNG LA FOLLETTE There is little doubt that Robert M. La Follftte, Jr., will be the next United States senator from Wisconsin. Wiscon-sin. He wil be listed as a republican, although he made the race not alone promising to "carry on" the radical policies of his late father, but capitalized, capi-talized, naturally as the son of the father the political machine that the ' elder La Follette had built up during dur-ing 40 years of public service in that state. i That young La Follette maintained his father's machine without the slipping slip-ping of a cog was not unexpected. The surprise of the campaign was the lethargy of the Old Guard wring of the republican party. Shortly before his last illness tht elder La Follette, who had led a third-party movement in 1924, was ruled out of the republican party, stripped of his major committee positions, po-sitions, and otherwise punished a.1 few leaders have been in the history of American politics. Senator Lenroot ,of Wisconsin, is a regular that is to fay, an administration adminis-tration republican. Upon the death of Senator La Follette it was predicted pre-dicted that the administration forces woud concentrate upon a regular candidate can-didate for the unexpired term, thereby there-by making a supreme effort to wrench Wisconsin from the insurgent wing, and from the ever-irritating position of party nagging and political inde-pendentism. inde-pendentism. When the campaign opened, however, how-ever, the entry from the regular wing Roy P. Wilcox, received only halfhearted half-hearted administration support, and only 24 hours before the primary did Chairman Butler, of the national committee com-mittee announce that young La Follette Fol-lette would not be accepted into the party folds. It was too late. The son had already won his father's mantle. The reason for the very obvious inactivity in-activity of the conservatives rests possibly in Lenroot, who mus stand for reelection in 1926. He possibly looked a year ahead and placed his o)wn political fortunes above those of a possible defeat for young La Fol- lette now, and a stodnuer and more spectacular fight with the defeated in 1926. Such is the expediency of politics. |