National Affairs: In Wisconsin

Possessed of a distinct individuality, as its vote in the last election shows, Wisconsin went about her peculiar ways last week. She held a primary in anticipation of an election on Sept. 29 to fill the Senate seat vacated by the death of Robert M. LaFollette.

There were nearly a dozen candidates in the field and the interest centered on the Republican contest, in which four aspirants were entered. Those four were: Robert M. LaFollette Jr., running on his father's platform; Roy Porter Wilcox, onetime state senator, candi- date of the Republican state organization, Francis E. McGovern, former Governor (1911-15) running on a compromise Coolidge-La Fol- lette platform; and Daniel Woodward, "Coolidge-Dawes" candidate with Ku Klux support.

Wisconsin has what is known as the "open primary"; a voter regardless of his affilications may vote in the primaries of any party.

Young Bob LaFollette, with his father's platform and his father's organization, was picked as the logical winner. On his behalf Senator Shipstead, Farmer-Laborite of Minnesota, and Senator Burton K. Wheeler, Progressive Democrat of Montana, came campaigning into the state.

As was expected, the young La Follette won the Republican nomination. He had some 180,000 votes, nearly 100,000 more than Wilcox, who ran second, and about 30,000 more than all the other Republican candidates combined.

So he will appear on the ballot on Sept. 29 as the Republican nominee, although Senator William M. Butler of Massachusetts, Chairman of the Republican National Convention, declared:

"Regardless of the fact that Robert M. LaFollette is running as a Republican and is using the Republican machinery in Wisconsin, he is standing on a platform containing planks that were rejected as against the part interests at the Republican National Convention at Cleveland last year.

"In my opinion the Republican National Comittee will not support him. I am, of course simply giving my private opinion. I cannot look upon a man who opposes the Republican Party in a campaign as a Republican. Certainly party regularity must have something to do with it in a case like this." Anticipating his defeat in the primaries, Roy B. Wilcox, chosen by the regular Republicans, had filed as an independent; nevertheless he 'withdrew. The regular Republicans threw their support to one Edward F. Dithmar, who had not taken part in the primary but had filed as an independent Republican.

One of the freaks of the primary was the Democratic contest. William George Bruce, named by the Democratic state organization, lacked sufficient popular support, although he was unopposed on the ballot, and failed to poll 5% of the Democratic vote cast in Wisconsin at the last election. According to Wisconsin law a candidate must poll in the primaries at least 5% of his party's vote in the previous election. Bruce failed to do so. No other Demo-crat did. Consequently there will be no regular Democratic candidate in the election, although Bruce will run as an independent Democrat.