(5 of 6)
Symbolism. At the end of an hour and a half Governor La Follette's hair was in his eyes, his coat disarrayed, but his Madison audience was still very much with him. He then undertook to explain the symbolism on the bunting around him. The X inside a circle signified no less than five things in the following order, 1) It suggested the cross the voter makes on a paper ballot. 2) The ballot mark suggested the equality of U. S. citizens. 3) As a multiplication symbol, the X showed that "the only way out is by multiplying and increasing the total production of real wealth." 4) Again through the ballot cross association, it "personifies organized action." 5) The circle "symbolizes the uniting of our people under principles in which we believe."
Of Spiritualism there was a fine big corn-fed helping at the end; square in the great tradition of all Midwestern political evangels from Lincoln to Bryan to La Follette the Elder to Henry Agard Wallace. Having quoted his father, Franklin Roosevelt and his good friend Maritime Labor Leader Andrew Furuseth, who died this year at the age of 83, Governor La Follette declared that "in its best sense this new crusade is a religious cause. Any movement that expresses the deep spiritual needs of man enlists his religious aspirations." He urged his followers to "use the gifts the Creator gave us" and to "fight for our cause until death." He wound up with a quote from the Disciple James: "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only."
Who's In? Anybody can launch a political party. The importance of the party will be determined by who joins it. As of last week the National Progressive Party of Phil La Follette could probably count on some 570,000 Wisconsin Progressives, who have returned his family to office more or less regularly for 27 years. La Follette is a national name, less understood than Roosevelt, but not so vaguely fearsome as it was in Old Bob's day. How many of the recent lunchers in Madison could be counted on for support was anyone's guess. Most noted listener in the Madison livestock pavilion last week was Assistant Secretary of State Adolf Berle, there as a representative of New York's Fusion Mayor LaGuardia, it seemed, rather than the Roosevelt Administration.
But the great political oddity about the La Follette bandwagon was that there appeared to be no steps by which practical professional groups could climb on. Governor La Follette had quite evidently deliberately planned it so. "This is no popular front," said he, "no conglomeration of conflicting, opposing forces huddled together for temporary expediency. . . . This is no trading expedition."
Result was that to a professional like New York's John O'Connor—who stopped Reorganization in the House but was making peace with the Administration last week (see p. 10)—Mr. La Follette's third party suggested comparison with a third bathtub. Other politicos, figuring 1940 is a long way off, sat tight, kept mum. But, with Phil La Follette off to Iowa to see who wanted to join him on his "adventure" on his own terms, at least one thoughtful and articulate commentator, ex-Socialist Walter Lippmann gave tongue: