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La Follette brought about the earliest success for state progressivism in the Midwest. He first won election to Congress in 1885 by toeing the Republican line of high tariffs and the gold standard. La Follette also pledged to break "the power of this corrupt influence" after having been offered a bribe in a railroad case by a Republican boss. In 1900 he won the governorship of Wisconsin as an uncommonly independent Republican. La Follette's "Wisconsin idea" produced the most comprehensive set of state reforms in American history. There were new laws regulating railroads, controlling corruption, and expanding the civil service. Among La Follette's "firsts" were a state income tax, a state commission to oversee factory safety and sanitation, and a Legislative Reference Bureau at the University of Wisconsin.

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16y ago

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