FRENCH LEADERS IN REFORM 401 



debates with ease. After graduation he went to work in 

 a law office, aud in five months was admitted to the bar, 

 which indicates his remarkable mental facility and grasj). 

 In 1880 he began to practice, but very soon was running in Public Life 

 for office. Public life seemed to possess for him irresist- 

 ible attraction. He won the office — that of district at- 

 torney — and a wife, a college classmate, one result of 

 co-education and a not uncommon one. He made an 

 excellent record in his first office, but already the ma- 

 chine politicians did not like him, because his methods 

 differed from theirs, and he had broken into politics 

 without asking the consent of the party powers. He de- 

 veloped a remarkable talent for getting at and getting a 

 hold on the people, so that they would vote for him 

 whether he had the machine endorsement or not. By 

 aud by LaFollette clashed decidedly with the State party 

 "boss," and then he determined to stand or fall for him- 

 self, and to stand. That was the Scotch pertinacity, and 

 with the French frankness and geniality it gained the 

 day for him. The story of his successes has much of ro- 

 mance and strenuousness in it, but always LaFollette 

 won, and in office was what he promised the people he 

 would be, their friend, honest and true. He went to 

 Congress, because he made up his Scotch mind and set 

 his French wit to work to do it ; and then he determined 

 to be governor of Wisconsin, and governor he became, 

 although the machine said he never could be elected. 

 From that high place he passed to the United States 

 Senate. Whatever his future may be, this western de- 

 scendant of the Huguenots has made his name known 

 far aud wide, and honourably known as a public man 

 eugaged in doing his duty in every office to which the 

 people, who believe in him, called him. Certainly the 

 quality of reform runs in the Huguenot blood to the latest 

 generation. 



II 



While less noted publicly than the statesmen and sol- 



