The Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 12, number 3, March 1929

              pioneer and political reminiscences 275 i have recorded the foregoing at length as i disagreed with my colleagues i have notes in detail of the action of the commission in regard to the matter here related the records of the commission show that after 1906 the state as sessment as made was used as the basis of the rate to be applied to the railroads my views prevailed in the end la follette and davidson james o davidson had been elected state treasurer in 1898 and reflected in 1900 and 1902 he was a candidate for renomination in 1904 but la follette had a slate in mind with davidson as the candidate for lieutenant governor this did not appeal to jim and bob was unable to persuade him the governor asked me to see davidson during the state convention bob felt assured of his own renomination i made the appeal to davidson that acceptance of the posi tion of lieutenant governor would be pretty certain to land him in the governor's chair that bob would in all probability go to the united states senate also that bob's health was such that there might be a vacancy at almost any time and he himself would be governor this persuaded him and he consented being a thrifty individual he had naturally pre ferred to remain treasurer at 5,000 a year to holding the lieutenant governorship at 1,200 but the allurement of being governor won the day he had been an original la follette man and had so remained a true and faithful sup porter the slate went through as bob had planned he won but not without considerable friction in the convention this was the so-called gymnasium convention when the meeting almost broke up in a row as will be remembered some of the delegates withdrew and later under the desig nation of national republican voted for ex-governor scofield at the november election the latter received some