Newspaper Page Text
SEPTEMBER 30, 1976
THE COLLEGIATE
PAGE THREE
Great Lives Observed
Robert Marion Lafollette
Dateline: September 25, 1976
The footnotes of American
history are filled with the names
of nearly forgotten pohtical
candidates who never made it to
the big times. Some of these
politicians undoubtedly deserve
their obscurity — others,
however, do not. Among those
meriting recognition and
remembrance are countless
crusaders and reformers whose
vision of a realization of the
American dream prompted
them to challenge the status quo
and liberalize the system. Such a
man was Robert Marion
LaFollette, Wisconsin governor,
United States Senator, and
Progressive Party Presidential
candidate during the first
quarter of this century.
The Progressives were an
important part of the reform
movement which swept the
nation during the early twentieth
century. Theodore Roosevelt
and Woodrow Wilson, out
standing Presidents of this era,
have each received considerable
credit for their successful
support of badly needed reform.
Bob LaFollette, although less
well known, contributed just as
much to progressive change.
Wisconsin was among the
most corrupt, boss-ridden, and
ill-governed of all of the states at
the turn of the century when Bob
LaFollette became governor.
The political boss of the state, a
wealthy lumberman and United
States Seantor, reportedly
bought votes as easily as he
purchased timber. Such an
atmosphere of corruption and
crass materialism appalled
LaFollette. After working his
way through the university and
law school, “Battling Bob” was
ready to challenge the en
trenched politicians of the state
machine. Waging a tough
campaign which stressed the
need for openness and decency
in government and pledging to
make the polical system
responsive to the needs of people
rather than the tool of corporate
wealth, LaFollette won the
gubernatorial race. Successful
in his attempt to improve state
government, he became the
greatest of all Progressive
governors. (Some historians
consider him the greatest of all
the Progressives.) Under
LaFollette’s leadership,
Wisconsin became the most
democratic state in the nation
and a model for the rest of the
states.
After a successful three terms
as governor, LaFollette won
election to the United States
Senate, where he became a
RAUs
pKe,-\A)CLsh&^ /e^s
Leaving the night behind, I
entered the dimly lit bar. Forced
by habit, hoping to see an an
ticipated face emerge from
behind the opening door, eyes
turned momentarily towards me
but quickly returned, watching
thumbnails tear labels, to their
tables. I spotted an empty stool
while looking for a familiar face
— saw none and took my place
inside of the mirrors. It was as if
I was surrounded by mirrors
whose reflective surface por
trayed the people around me to
themselves and concealed the
man within. Even the bartender
could not see me — I must speak
or I shall not be known.
“Say, how about a cold
Pearl?” Ah yes, the nectar of the
gods — a magic elixer preten
ding to transport man from
within himself.
spokesman for a group of
reform-minded legislators.
Notable among the changes for
which he and his colleagues
successfully fought were direct
election of United States
Senators, an income tax, the
primary system for nominating
political candidates, lower tariff
rates, national regulation of the
railroads, and laws which im
proved the working conditions of
laborers, especially women and
children.
Because LaFollette’s ideals
were not popular with con
servative Americans, he made
many enemies. Opponents ac
cused him of advocating
socialism and various other
radical ideals. Although
defeated in his campaign for the
Presidency in 1924 while running
as a Progressive, LaFollette,
nevertheless, garnered nearly
five million votes — a huge total
for a third party candidate.
More importantly, the success of
the programs for which he
courageously fought helped to
make liberal reform more
respectable in the United States.
Today, his name belongs with
those of such friends of
humanity as Eugene V. Debs
and Martin Luther King Jr., —
men whose high principles,
dedication to democratic ideals,
and willingness to support un
popular causes have added
immeasurably to an im
provement of the quality of life
for millions of Americans.
Jerry MacLean
12.3 S.Torboro
Wi ls6n, N.C.
-l-il q'oo
“Thanks.” Tickling my throat,
quenching an almost insatiable
thirst, the pearls rolled into my
gut.
Lots of people down here
tonight. Seems like everyone is
having a good time. The heavy
beat of the jukebox provides an
earthy tempo behind the din of
conversation. People bumping,
spinning tales of intrigue,
casting out lines, some landing a
bass — everyone is in action.
From pretended indifference,
subtle looks, and hardcore
propositions to good old
American free enterprise, the
styles of the players are
kaleidoscopic.
Tonight 1 am abstaining; I’ll
just watch these games people
play. I guess we all play the
game — making up our rules as
we go. Tonight I’m playing the
watching game; noncommital
observation through detach
ment. Sitting on this stoool,
surrounded by plotting and
action, a reversed theatre in the
r(Xind with everyone being their
own leading actor, I see symbols
enforcing themes. It’s a
fascinating show, much belter
than television because it’s for
real. Isn’t it?
“Hey Tod, how have you
been’’” Haven’t seen him in
ages. Always pops up where
you'd least expect Iosih' him
“Fine. Same old things, and
you?” I hope he doesn't ask me
for a ride. I’m not ready for that
yet.
“Take it easy, don't do
anything I wouldn’t do.” Though
I’m sure he will. We just don’t
seem to see things eye to eye.
Time marches on, the players
are leaving in groups, couples,
and alone; order creeps in where
chaos has been the norm. I lend
to feel the chaos has been the
illusion, alluding to a higher
order in the whole lives of the
players here tonight. I guess its
time that I move on.
University (Continu(>dfrom page2)
creative intelligence, stifled by
too much theory and too many
grades in college, would not
become reawakened by the
bordeom of the shop Thousands
of hours of Irustrating
mechanical problems would
have made him more interested
in machine design. He would like
to design machinery himself.
He’d think he could do a better
job. He would try modifying a
few engines, meet with success,
look for more success, but feel
blocked because he didn’t have
the theoretical information. He
would discover that when before
he felt stupid because of his lack
of interest in the theoretical
information which he'd have a
lot of respect for, namely,
mechanical engineering.
So he would come back to our
degreeless and gradelss school,
but with a difference. He'd no
longer be a grade-motivated
person. He’d be a knowledge-
motivated person. He would
need no external pushing to
learn. His push would come from
inside. He’d be a freeman. He
wouldn't need a lot of discipline
to shape him up. In fact, if the
instructors assigned him were
slacking on the job he would be
likely to shape them up by
asking rude questioas. He’d be
there to learn something, would
be paying to learn something
and they’d better come up with
it.
Motivation of this sort, once it
catches hold, is a fertxrious
force, and in the gradeless,
degreeless institution where our
student would find himself, he
wouldn’t stop with rote
engineering information
Physics and mathematics were
going to come within his sphere
of interest because he’d see he
needed them. Metallurgy and
electrical engineering would
come up for attention. And, in
the process of intellectual
maturing that these abstract
studies gave him, he would be
likely to branch out into other
theoretical areas that weren’t
directly related to machines but
had become a part of a newer
larger goal. This larger goal
wouldn't be the imitation of
education in Universities today,
glossed over and concealed by
grades and degrees that give the
appearance of something
happening when, in fact, almost
nothing is going on. It would be
the real thing.
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