THIRD-PARTY IDEOLOGIES $ 



he had made no similar pleas with respect to the Wisconsin platform. It 

 was presented amidst an atmosphere of ridicule. Henry Cooper, congress- 

 man from Wisconsin's first district, temporarily brought the jeers of the 

 delegates to a halt by reminding them that twenty-six of the thirty-one 

 planks presented from La Follette's state since 1908 had been enacted into 

 law. Both parties, he reminded the delegates, had adopted planks which 

 they had originally branded as socialistic. But to no avail. The Republicans 

 wanted none of La Follette. The platform presented to the delegates for 

 approval, said Charles K. Warren, who introduced it, had the support of 

 every state except Wisconsin. This "one-state" argument was repeated 

 again and again, and each time was met with "hoots and jeers" for the 

 La Follette men. Hisses also met the names of Norris and Brookhart. 53 



Despite the contempt with which the regular Republicans met the La 

 Follette proposals, it was not to be denied that they were frankly worried 

 over what he would do. The rejection of his proposals simply added to 

 the rumors current to the effect that his campaign was going to be built 

 around the organizations of the C.P.P.A., which functioned in thirty-two 

 states and which were represented in the industrial centers of the East 

 as well as in the Middle West. 54 



When the C.P.P.A. was about to meet in Cleveland, the Democratic na- 

 tional convention was still deadlocked. It was no secret that the third-party 

 hopefuls wanted a conservative candidate like John W. Davis, fully ex- 

 pecting that this would enable La Follette to command a solid control 

 over the radical and progressive votes. Such a turn of events also would 

 enable the convention to denounce both the old parties in scathing lan- 

 guage, and designate their candidates as agents of "Wall Street and the big 



interests." 55 



If there still was doubt about who was going to be the Democratic 

 candidate, there was little doubt whom the C.P.P.A. was going to sup- 

 port. On the eve of the convention the national committee authorized the 

 sending of a telegram to La Follette formally asking him to accept the 

 nomination of the convention about to assemble. Little was to be expected 

 from the two major parties, said this invitation; they were involved in 



53. John M. Nelson, "The La Follette-Wheeler Candidacy," Yale Review, XIV 

 (October 19, 1924), p. 43. 



54. Capital Times, June 18, 1924. 



55. New Yor^ Times, July 3, 1924. 



