Death Rattle

The Progressive Party almost died of neglect last week in its own stronghold, Wisconsin. In a state-wide primary, it barely got enough votes (about 28,000) to remain on the ballot.* The once lusty voice of the LaFollettes, loud enough to be heard across the nation in 1924--when "Old Bob" pulled 5,000,000 votes for President--had become afeeble whisper. This news overshadowed the fact that Republicans had won an impressive 75% of the state vote.

Did this mean that Wisconsin voters had turned from the old faithful Progressive mixture--agrarian reform and a Midwestern suspicion of other nations? Progressives had explanations ready: for the first time the primary had been held in August, when farmers are busy; Progressives traditionally show poorly in primaries ; the Party's candidates were mostly unknowns; there had been no significant differences in issues (the leading Republican, Democrat and Progressive candidates all campaigned for international cooperation).

One explanation remained: the Progressive Party is only as strong as its LaFollettes. And this year both LaFollette brothers were largely inactive. Brother Phil (three times governor) is a lieutenant colonel on General Douglas MacArthur's staff. Brother Bob, whose Senate seat is good until 1947, discovered too late that the Progressives had not been sleeping but dying. Bob rushed back to Wisconsin, made two radio speeches, then bounced up & down the dairyland, spending a day each at 20 county seats. Never had he seen such apathy, he told friends. If the apathy continued, Young Bob might find himself again in the Republican Party, where Old Bob started from 20 years ago.

*To stay on the ballot in Wisconsin, a political party must poll at least 5% of its average vote for governor in the two preceding general elections.

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