The fight against fluoride picks up again, 51 years ago

In 1966, a ‘La Crosse Citizens Committee Against Fluoridation’ bought a newspaper ad claiming that a ‘propaganda’ piece in the West Salem newspaper led voters there to vote for fluoride in the tap water…because the voters didn’t get to hear the other side. The committee was being re-activated and expanded to include six counties, in hopes of preventing other communities from saying yes to what the group called ‘mass medication.’ La Crosse had voted down fluoridation once in the 50’s. There would be referendums again in the city in 1968 and ’69…and both were defeated.
 
The next presidential election was two years away, and Wisconsin leaders were debating whether to have an early primary again. Wisconsin was traditionally the second primary state, after New Hampshire, with a presidential vote in early April. But a bi-partisan committee suggested moving the state primary to May, when it would have less influence on the nominating process. The ’68 primary remained in April.
 
And a popular series of TV commercials featured the Ajax White Knight.  The knight on a horse pointed a lance at people with dirty clothes, and magically their clothes became clean.  Ajax laundry detergent ran a sweepstakes, asking customers to vote on a name for the knight…Lancelot, Bayard, Roland, or Galahad…with the winning name to be announced on ‘The Dean Martin Show.’  But the Ajax website today doesn’t have a record of what name won the contest.  Stronger than dirt in 1966, yesterday in La Crosse.