THE WEEK IN THE CAPITAL
Rubin, Morris H.
The Week In The Capitol [BT MORRIS B. RUBIN] GOV. HElfS complete indifference to facts is probably his most productive characteristic as a politician. When he makes a speech and needs some...
...There are strong units of the Young Progressives in almost every key center and the organization drive is gaining new momentum as the campaign approaches...
...The fantastic claims he made are analyzed in the light of official figures elsewhere on this page, but one point is worth ou rar.ention here...
...Heil said that when he took office, the state government was $17,000,000 short...
...But the $17,000,000 figure sounded plausible to the audience because they remembered reading about such a deficit in the papers not so long ago...
...When he makes a speech and needs some figures to bolster a claim, he simply reaches out n the air for a fist-full of sta-istics and then tosses them jut to the crowd...
...Many Republican newspapers are encouraging Robert K. Henry, the Jefferson banker...
...A typical example of Heil's technique was on display last week...
...In two phases of organization work —women's and youth activities—Progressives are far more advanced this year than in any period in the past...
...Henry was a Democrat in the 1036 campaign, a Democrat and a Republican in the 1938 campaign, and now in 1940, he's a Republican...
...People in the audience generally have no way of knowing how true Heil's claims are, and many of them assume that since he has access to the official records, he must be telling the truth...
...U> run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination...
...When Hcil took office Jan...
...It is this habit of his which makes him a tough contender for public office...
...Phil Will Address Legion Gathering WAUPUX, Wis.—Philip F. La Follette, former governor of Wisconsin and founder of National Progressives of America, will be the principal speaker at the district convention of the American Lesion here May 3. His subject mu be: "A Challenge to Amcncii...
...One sound method of guaging the soundness of financial management under the Progressives and under the Republicans is to look at the very vital matter of state aids to counties, towns, cities, villages, and school boards...
...They know that some of the lusty cracks they took at Heil during the legislative session will come back to haunt them during the campaign if Heil is the Republican candidate...
...The governor addressed a meeting in one of Milwaukee's snootiest suburbs...
...Now nothing could he farther from the truth...
...The women have been organizing quietly and effectively in many parts of the state, with the result that their contribution to the 1940 campaign will be .ar stronger than ever before...
...However since they went on their own July 1, 1939, when the new Republican budget became operative, the Heil administration has defaulted on almost every state aid obligation and has had to resort to meeting these payments in installments for the first time in Wisconsin history...
...Henry wants badly to run, and he will run if there's enough cash in sight to finance an expensive campaign...
...When they assemble for their state ' onvention in Portage early this summer—the date will be announced iocn—the Young Progressives expect to have their organization perfected *nough to put on a real drive side by ,.ide with the regular Progressive organization...
...1. 1933, the state was not only •ohent, but the Progressive-filled treasury enabled the Heil administration to meet some S40.000.000 in obligations in its first six months and still end the fiscal year with S9,000,000 in the treasury...
...They prefer Henry to Heil partly because they are out on a limb against Heil...
...During its first six months in office, when all of the appropriations were being paid out of funds raised by the last La Follette administration, ihe Republican administration was able to meet every obligation on time...
...Joulh activity, too, has speeded up considerably in recent months...
...Got...
...What -the audience didn't know was that S17.-000,000 was the amount of the deficit left by the Republican legislature when it adjourned Oct...
...6, 1939 and had nothing at all to do with the condition of the treasury when he took office...
Vol. 10 • May 1940 • No. 18
