BLAINE COMMITTEE WILL BEGIN PROBE LATE THIS MONTH
THE NATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE FIGHT IN WISCONSIN MOST of the attention in the present campaign in Wisconsin has been centered, and no doubt rightly so, upon the issues that immediately concern the...
...Outside the state, particularly in the money and Big Business centers of the industrial East, the big chiefs of this same class see in the Kohler candidacy an opportunity to entrench themselves in Wisconsin politics and in the future bring about the defeat of those Progressives who have dared to oppose them in the conduct of national affairs...
...HOW do they do it...
...When questioned about the matter, Mrs...
...With all their wealth, power, and influence, is it any wonder that these big monopolies continue to show swollen profits and new high records in earnings when other less favored businesses are suffering from a prolonged depression or faltering near the rocks of bankrutcy...
...And, naturally, the Old Guard crowd in Illinois has come to her, support against Senator Nye and his committee whose primary purpose is to get the truth to the people and promote honesty and fairness in election campaigns...
...The efforts of the Progressives o prevent the passage of this measure that saddled a burden of undreds of millions upon farmers, workingmen, and small business men of the country were defeated only after every ounce of power and influence for the bill had been utilized by the Hoover administration and the big interests behind it and the coalition of Progressives and Democrats had been wrecked...
...The gross income of this huge utility increased from $168,792,000 in 1929 to $174,890,000 for the present fiscal year...
...McCormick shamelessly admitted, "I did it and am still doing it...
...Republican senatorial from III ----- A...
...State and federal regulatory bodies are becoming their rubber Stamps...
...RELIABLE authority has it that the big Eastern financial interests are spending large sums in Wisconsin in the present campaign to defeat the candidacy of Philip F. La Follette and to keep the representative of wealth and monopoly, Walter J. Kohler, in the governorship...
...In the 1928 campaign the sum of $40,000 was borrowed by the Stalwart Republican organization of the state from a big Milwaukee bank on notes that were endorsed by Mr...
...Vits is head of the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company, a concern in which the multimillionaire Mellon brothers have a large interest...
...Wisconsin Progressives in national affairs at Washington have always been leaders in the fight for the interests of the common people as against those of wealth, monopoly, and Big Business...
...The supporters of Walter J. Kohler within the state who are most concerned and who will profit most from his re-election to the governorship belong to the .-ame class as those outside the state who are pulling for his success...
...Favorable franchises of the indeterminate permit type, high and unjustifiable rates to earn a return on a big watered capitalization against Avhich the consumer has no appeal all add to the picture...
...Vits...
...Sen :, have >. n seekin i learn the facts in the McCor mick campaign in recent weeks, it was discovered that, paid spies,—private detectives in the employ of Mrs...
...these big utilities are continually reaching out and the swallowing more and more of the natural resources of the land...
...In the Senate fight against the Old Guard tariff mea-ure, the Smoot-Hawley bill, Senators Blaine and La Follette of Wisconsin were active leaders...
...Here is the arrogant, defiant attitude taken by a woman, herself several times a millionairess, who confessedly expended over a quarter of a million dollars to secure the Republican nomination to the Illinois senatorship...
...In addition, both the Coolidge and Hoover administrations, doubtless through the influence of Andrew W. Mellon, placed all Federal patronage in Wisconsin in the hands of this same Mr...
...And the savings that come in lessened cost of operation due to falling prices, instead of being passed on to the consumer as they rightfully should, are retained by utility to add to its swollen profits...
...THE NATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE FIGHT IN WISCONSIN MOST of the attention in the present campaign in Wisconsin has been centered, and no doubt rightly so, upon the issues that immediately concern the people of this state...
...With the Old Guard financial interests already pouring money into Wisconsin to secure the election'of a millionaire to the governorship whom they know will be true in his class and the interests that support him, Progressives ¦ ' 'Iclilid aid -rh under-cover attempt being made to •<>y the "T" <¦ movement in Wisconsin and bring ' 'lie d< <¦ ry representative to the national gov-' i -iiuenl who <i: to champion the rielils of the people • nd oppose the en< ¦ invents of wealth and monopoly...
...and others in calling the people's attention to this phase of the,campaign...
...In the past, strenuous efforts have been made by these same interests to defeat Progressives and to whip them into line...
...Flouting with contempt the efforts of Senator Nye and the Senate committee on campaign expenditures to uncover the facts in the Illinois primary campaign, she deliberately sets out to make a personallattack on Senator Nye with paid "shadowers" and private detectives...
...Entrenched as they are...
...T'S the light of these facts, the national aspect of the La Fol-iette-Kohler struggle becomes important, despite the attempt that is being made by the feed-box newspapers all over the state to discredit the actions of Senator Robert M. La Follette, Jr...
...The activity of Progressive members of the House of Representatives and of the two present members of the Senate of the United States from Wisconsin, Robert M. La Follette and John J. Blaine, has always been a source of much annoyance and distress to the Old Guard representatives of wealth, monopoly, and special privilege in the national government...
...Another company, the American Commonwealth Power-Corporation, made a new high record in profits with a net of $12,693,0Q{) for the present fiscal year, and the New England Public Service company showed a net income of $4,837,000 as compared with $4,667,000 for 1929...
...McCormick is typical of those whose political philosophy is that money, not merit or ability, should be the determining factor in selecting candidates for public office...
...Regulatory commissions and other agencies designed to protect the public against the exploitations of these big utilities no longer function to any effective degree...
...Vits as a punishment and disciplinary measure for Wisconsin members of Congross who refused to be bossed by the Old Guard...
...Obvious4y, the choice that the people of Wisconsin make will be of utmost immediate concern to the people of this state...
...THE ARROGANT MRS...
...Fundamentally, the issues that face the voters of this state are the same, viewed from either the state or the national aspects...
...And consistently with great sums of money and propaganda they fight the efforts of the advocates of public ownership to prevent all the God-given resources of the country from falling into their clutches...
...What is Senator Nye going to do about it...
...BUT in so doing, the national aspect of the fight in Wisconsin should not be ignored...
...Yes, how do they do it ? The answer is simple enough...
...They have grown so big and powerful that their voice in government is more and more commanding...
...McCormick,— were "shadowing" members of the committee, including Senator Nye in particular.' Paid agents were sent to North Dakota in a underhanded attempt to "get something" on Senator Nye, and he was followed and watched by other operatives wherever he went...
...It is fitting, therefore, that they allocate to the state or local aspect of the campaign the position of prime importance...
...THE FAVORED PUBLIC UTILITIES RECENT figures issued by a number of big electric light, power, and gas utilities having large holdings throughout the .country indicate that in spite of the general depression and hard times affecting most industries, these big corporations continue to glean handsome profits from the consumers and show big returns upon their investments...
...For instance, the Standard Gas and Electric company reveals a net income for the fiscal year ended June 30th of $37,745,000 as compared with $34,783,000 for the preceding fiscal vear...
...They have made up their minds to "get" the men who dared to oppose them, and have poured money without stint into the home states of these men in a bitter attempt to defeat them, as witness the campaigns in Nebraska against Senator Norris and in Montana against Senator Walsh...
...The attitude of Mrs...
...This entry of the forces behind the national Old Guard organization into Wisconsin politics is not a new thing...
...MrCORMICK rHE Senate committee on campaign expenditures under the eh'ii'rmanship of Senator Gerald P. Syc of North Dakota ms i • ntly encountered \v}u»l is probahiy 'he height of arro •t-r el eoi)|e:-er.f jn it < :.• .?.-| jgaHoii of I he primary cam Mrs...
...In these days when everyone else is having a hard time getting along at all, the big monopolies pile up new high records and reap monumental profits...
...The bitter fight made in Congress by the Progressives against class" legislation favorable to the big money and manufacturing interests of the East at the expense of agriculture and the small income group, which culminated most recently in the iniquitous Smoot-Hawley tariff bill, has long been a thorne in the sides of these big interests...
...h' Haniie Cormiek...
...mmhtee and jls chairman...
...Wisconsin, in a nomination campaign that is equivalent to election, is choosing a governor, and in so doing must make a choice between Philip F. La Follette and Walter J. Kohler,—two men whose ideals, beliefs, policies, and philosophies of government are almost diametrically opposed...
...In Wisconsin it is the big income group,—the forces of wealth, monopoly, and special privilege that have arrayed themselves solidly in support of his candidacy...
...The agent in this state appointed to carry on this smashing of the Progressive movement was and is one George Vits, of Manitowoc...
Vol. 1 • September 1930 • No. 40
