From  the  very  beginning  of  our  contest  we
had  not  only  the  support  of  practically  all  uni-
versity men  throughout  the  state,  but  of  sub-
stantially all  of  the  students  of  the  university
old  enough  to  be  interested.  The  spirit  of
democracy  pervaded  university  life,  and  a
strong  body  of  these  fine,  clean,  brainy  fellows
—  really  able  men  —  have  been  conspicuous  in
all  the  Progressive  fights  of  Wisconsin  from  that


208       STRUGGLE  WITH  THE  BOSSES

day  to  this.  They  are  the  Progressive  leaders
in  their  communities  throughout  the  common-
wealth, and  are  filling  the  first  positions  in  our
state  —  Assemblymen,  Senators,  the  Governor's
office.  They  are  to  be  found  upon  the  commis-
sions, in  journalism,  in  the  professions  —  not
even  excepting  the  pulpit  —  all  earnestly  striv-
^  ing  for  civic  righteousness.  One  of  the  ablest
and  most  active  of  these  students  was  a  boyish-
looking,  tow-headed  Norwegian  —  now  Con-
gressman John  M.  Nelson— one  of  the  stanchest
supporters  of  the  Progressive  movement.  He
came  from  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Burke,  a  few
miles  out  of  Madison.  He  had  taken  rank  as  a
student  and  a  debater  in  the  university  society
work,  and  was  one  of  the  many  students  who
early  came  to  my  office  to  volunteer  his  services
in  the  Haugen  campaign,  and  likewise  in  the
campaign  of  1896.  He  accepted  the  position
of  editor  of  Old  Dane^  the  name  of  which  we
changed  to  The  State.  As  we  now  had  a  medium
through  which  to  maintain  from  week  to  week  a
campaign  of  education,  the  time  seemed  at  hand
to  propose  a  constructive  program.    A   new


STRUGGLE  WITH  THE  BOSSES       9M

heading  for  the  paper  was  designed,  which  set
forth  the  following  platform:

Protection  for  the  products  of  the  factory
and  the  farm.
