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Robert LaFollette-

Quote from "The Danger Threatening Representative Government" "The basic principal of this government is the will of the people. A system was devised by its founders which seemed to insure the means of ascertaining that will and of enacting it into legislation and supporting it through the administration of the law. This was to be accomplished by electing men to make, and men to execute the laws, who, would represent in the laws so made and executed the will of the people. This was the establishment of a representative government, where every man had equal voice, equal rights, and equal responsibilities."

He was wisconsin's republican governor from 1901 to 1906. His nickname was "Fighting Bob" and he earned it through his efforts to clean up the government and produce social welfare reforms. He had an idea to change the government called the "Wisonsin Idea" which was a public-academic alliance to improve the government. He used academic experts to help draft reforn lagislation. He wanted reforms to happen to big bussinesses, he thought that America was run by less then 100 industrialists.

The problem that Robert LaFollette wanted to solve the problem of big businesses with too much power. He thought that the men who run those businesses use their power to then control the political process. He wanted to protect the people from thier selfish interests.

His solution was using academic experts to help draft laws. When he was governor he used his power to create reforms to regulate the railroad system and to equalize taxes. When he was elected to the Senate the didn't stop fighting for the people. He fought big businesses and lmited their power.

LaFollette, Robert. "The Danger Threatening Representative Government." Political. None. Wisconsin, Mineral Point. 4 July 1897. Speech.