1978 November 15

INTRODUCTION

“OATS” DUEHOLM
Scope and Content Note: When Republicans controlled Assembly, Dueholm compared one of their proposals to an incident where he had mistakenly mixed in some horse droppings with some hand-dipped chocolate he gave to a girl friend. There were too many oats in those chocolates. Byron Wackett called him “Oats” Dueholm from then on.

DUEHOLM AS CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEE ON REMEDIAL LEGISLATION
Scope and Content Note: Committee eventually introduced 60 or 70 bills in one session; became sort of a joke. One day Dick Peterson of Waupaca asked Dueholm a question about a bill concerning the Public Service Commission's (PSC) right to remove an obstruction in navigable waters. If Peterson came to Polk County, he replied, tripped over one of his jokes, and landed in a creek, the PSC could--after a hearing--remove the obstruction.

WILLIS HUTNIK FROM NORTHERN WISCONSIN
Scope and Content Note: Hutnik was shaking his head at Dueholm's stuttering one day; Dueholm pointed out that he had a horse that used to do that, and they had had to shoot the horse.

OLEOMARGARINE
Scope and Content Note: Charles Smith from Milwaukee asked what Dueholm knew about margarine. Dueholm responded that his wife had once won some margarine on a Twin Cities television show. Used it to smear on cows' scratched teats and as rectal suppositories.

MORE ON OLEOMARGARINE
Scope and Content Note: Dueholm characterized margarine as a prostitute, not a substitute: to propose legalizing oleo and taxing it to fund research on the dairy industry is like legalizing prostitution and taxing it to fund research into why there are so many bachelors in the country.

REPUBLICAN BOOTH AT THE WORLD'S FAIR
Scope and Content Note: While Dueholm was making fun of the Republicans on the Assembly floor, Cy Bidwell from Columbia County objected that Dueholm was out of order. Dueholm kept on, then Robert Haase from Marinette also objected. Dueholm complimented Haase for his public speaking, adding that if he (Dueholm) could take a six-week course in public speaking and Haase a six-week course in public interest, they would be equal.

ROBERT HUBER AND OLEOMARGARINE
Scope and Content Note: Huber in favor of legalizing yellow colored margarine; Dueholm felt he was not listening to Dueholm's position. Dueholm said that Huber reminded him of a banker back home who had a glass eye; it was so closely matched to the natural eye that the only difference was that you could see a drop of kindness in the glass eye. But Dueholm finished by saying that Huber had no glass eye.

WARREN AND ROBERT KNOWLES
Scope and Content Note: After Warren Knowles elected Governor in 1964, he found it impossible to keep his campaign promise of not raising taxes. His brother, Sen. Robert Knowles, said to trust no man, though he be a brother, if his campaign says one thing and his tax bill another.

SALES TAX CONTROVERSY
Scope and Content Note: Dueholm originally campaigned against a sales tax. When Gaylord Nelson was Governor, the legislature reached an impasse over what type of bill to enact, and Dueholm was appointed to a compromise committee which recommended a selective sales tax. Bill Ward from St. Croix County, still opposed, pointed out that the members had to sleep with his conscience. Dueholm responded that if Ward would take his conscience and put it in the jar where he normally kept his teeth and slept with his teeth, he would wind up with a better voting record.

BILL PROHIBITING THE TEACHING OF SEX IN SCHOOL
Scope and Content Note: Dueholm spoke against the bill at a hearing and later received an irate letter from a constituent protesting his pro-sex and pro-contraceptive views. Dueholm wrote back thanking the man for the sexiest letter he had ever received, pointing out after he had read the letter he suspected that the man's father probably wished he had known more about contraceptives after seeing his son grow up.

GOVERNOR'S HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM
Scope and Content Note: Dueholm received a letter accusing him of gutter politics because of opposition to the Governor's Highway Safety Program. Dueholm replied by explaining his opposition, claiming that legislators sometimes get involved in gutter politics because it's the only way of contacting letter writers like him.

ANTI-PORNOGRAPHY BILL
Scope and Content Note: Bill would establish a committee to tour the state and examine available pornography. Dueholm added an amendment allowing only those 65 and older to serve on the committee to avoid corrupting the morals of the young. The amendment passed, and it killed the bill.

A NIGHT OUT WITH JUDGE ALLEN KINNEY
Scope and Content Note: Kinney and Dueholm went out to dinner, later met some local officials from Polk and Burnett counties, and proceeded to Madison's Dangle Lounge. The management demanded a 75-cent cover charge; Dueholm refused, claiming they were a group of Republican legislators out on a drunk. After entering, Kinney realized what kind of a place it was and left because it was no place for a judge.

BILL WARD
Scope and Content Note: One of the least influenced by lobbyists. Former Sen. Mark Catlin became a lobbyist after his legislative career ended but usually only had cat and dog bills. He did have one bill--to allow dancing in taverns--that Ward supported. Dueholm remarked that he never thought he would see the day that Bill Ward would dance to Mark Catlin's tune.

END OF TAPE 4, SIDE 1

INTRODUCTION

DUEHOLM'S CAMPAIGN
Scope and Content Note: Didn't do so well in the village of Luck; not sure of the reason.

ASSEMBLY CAMPAIGN
Scope and Content Note: The Republican (David Paulson) won because the people were so used to being served by a horse's hind end that they decided to keep doing it even though they had to switch parties.

SHOPLIFTING BILLS
Scope and Content Note: Never voted for any of them, not because he had any sympathy for the shoplifter, but because he felt the bills gave too much power to the store owner. Eventually, after getting hell from all the merchants while not receiving one letter from a shoplifter, he finally supported passage.

A GAYLORD NELSON STORY OFTEN ATTRIBUTED TO DUEHOLM
Scope and Content Note: Charlie Christopherson, after Democrats first won at Clear Lake, went around saying that for years the Republicans had been lying, cheating and stuffing the ballot box. Thank God, this year we beat them at their own game.

A TONY EARL STORY OFTEN ATTRIBUTED TO DUEHOLM
Scope and Content Note: Gervase Hephner, to try and impress farmers, would often brag about how he had more cow manure under his fingernails. When he would speak on the wrong side of an issue, Earl would respond by concluding that Hephner had been chewing his nails again.

SOLAR ENERGY TAX CREDIT
Scope and Content Note: Dueholm supports solar energy but opposed a bill providing tax credits because it would help the rich who didn't need the help. Thought the state ought to subsidize those who switched over to wood. Admitted he had switched over to oil when no longer home to hold the door open when Hazel carried in the wood.

WOOD SPLITTING DONE COOPERATIVELY BY DANES
Scope and Content Note: Danes would get together at night after the women got done with the milking; would go farm to farm where the men would play cards and children would hold lanterns so women could split the wood.

REPUBLICAN PHILOSOPHY
Scope and Content Note: The Republicans have held the view going back to Herbert Hoover that if you help the wealthy, enough will trickle down to help everyone. Reminded Dueholm of how they used to feed the birds by feeding the horse more oats. Republicans also believe that everyone should get the same amount of ice; only thing is that the poor get theirs in the winter.

EARLY EXPERIENCES ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Scope and Content Note: Very nervous speaker at first. Remembers one meeting where Senate candidates Holger Rasmusen (Rep.) and Fred Moser (Dem.) and Assembly candidates Lowell Nelson (Rep.) and Dueholm all spoke. The others talked about their family history, but Dueholm finished by saying that he would mention his qualifications as legislator, not as a proven sire. In view of the greater population growth of Dane County, compared to Polk and Burnett, he thought we ought to keep the proven sires at home and send the legislators to Madison.

PAY RAISES
Scope and Content Note: Fought all of them and took all of them, but has changed his view somewhat. Once he went to a Joint Finance Committee meeting to debate pay raises and pointed out that it was hard for people in Polk and Burnett counties to see how $3,600 was not enough for a part-time job when the average income up there was less than that. Sen. Mark Lipscomb asked if Dueholm's income was so low, how could he send a son to the Harvard Law School. Dueholm responded that he had had scholarship help, but that they didn't talk about it much: for years the Dueholms had earned an honest living, and the boy's mother still didn't know he was in law school--she thought he was a bookie in Las Vegas.

FAMILY ALL HELPS WITH CAMPAIGNS
Scope and Content Note: Sons and their wives would come home and help. Youngest son, Dave, started when he was ten or eleven years old.

DUEHOLM SPEAKS AT DANE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC MEETING
Scope and Content Note: After he spoke there, Dave O'Malley said, “You can see why I always support spending more on education for northern Wisconsin.”

GAYLORD NELSON ON DUEHOLM
Scope and Content Note: Nelson said it was too bad that Dueholm couldn't speak to every audience in the state. The adults would see that it didn't take that much to be a legislator, and the kids would see what would happen if they didn't further their education.

DUEHOLM SPEAKS TO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Scope and Content Note: Spoke often to them in 1960's; didn't mind long hair. Found it good to listen to them.

PROPERTY TAX ON BOATS
Scope and Content Note: Opposed removing property tax from boats, but lost the issue. His stand very misunderstood. One of his opponents accused Dueholm of having no sympathy for the poor man. He knew a man who had a $4,000 income and an $1,800 boat. Dueholm replied that the man didn't need a tax exemption; he needed a psychiatrist.

COUNTY FINANCES
Scope and Content Note: Comments on struggle to readjust the way Polk County handled its money

HARRY BAKER
Scope and Content Note: A conservative family friend in the real estate business who told Dueholm there ought to be more statesmen in the legislature. Dueholm replied there ought to be more honest men in the real estate business.

END OF TAPE 4, SIDE 2