Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-04
KNUTY FIAYED.
The Little Norwegian Dissected by One
of His Own COuntrymen.
THE SETTLERS HE HAS ROBBED,
And the Man Whose Homestead He
Jumped.

Knutc Nelson, His Present and Past.
The following is an editorial from the
Norwegian newspaper, NordsJernen, Far
go and Moorhead:
We will to-day offer as much room in our
columns, that every reader possessing
common sense in Minnesota's Fifth con-
gressional district, will have no dicfiulty
TO make up his mind if he can support
this man for the important congressional
Office, or if it is thought best to let Knute
Nelson stay home, and right here we will
ask the readers to bear in mind, that it is
their sacred duty to have the needs of the
district in mind, and not vote for a man
because he belongs to this OF that nation
ali ty,
When We took our oath of allegiance,
we swore to be good American citizens and
abide by the American constitution and
laws. 1t cannot be denied, that we break
this pledge, if we allow our natural feel
ings and sympathy to carry US away and
vote for countryman, just because he is
such. In this country we are either Amer
lean citizens or we are nothing. So much
will conscience dictate to every
upright man who has sworn
to support the American constitution
Knute Nelson may be himself a pretty
good man, but at the same time be dan
gerous representative to congress. 1t is all
owing to the company he is in, and in this
respect we can say with safety that he is in
very bad society. His committee foreman
4 hos ole 10, - ~ =
Gilman, from St. Cloud, one of the slick
est and most INSCRIPTIONS politicians in
Minnesota, and an active member in the
pine land ring, whose head man is Wash
burn, from Minneapolis. About all the
pine there is left in Minnesota may be
found in the Fifth district, and this pine
will the ring try and gobble up. To do this
with success, they must have the district
representative on their side, and, therefore,
the thieving ring is working so necessarily
for Nelson, whom they themselves think
to have in their power, and so long as
Knute Nelson SO ready and willingly is re-
ceiving their aid, it must be supposed that
he will be obliged to obey their dictations,
if he should be elected.
This talk and plea of nationality is con-
sidered by the ring to be an excellent pre-
tense and point to throw in the eyes of the
Scandinavians. They will rejoice at the
prospect of a countryman being elected to
congress, while the pine thieves can in
quiet and ease reap the benefit thereof.
There is upwards of 5000, 100000 feet
of pine left in the district, and every foot
of this the ring calculates to gobble up,
with the cot Nelson. Therefore, they
are appropriating money, and newspaper
influence and great speakers to further his
election. Why are Washburn, Gordon and
Fletcher, all Minneapolis men, working SO
necessarily for Nelson's election. They
are not doing SO with no purpose in view.
This no politicians of their calibre will do.
It is circling round nothing less than the
whole 5000, 100000 feet of pine yet left,
and which the pine thieves will appropriate
in various ways, partly by false pre-emp-
lions, partly by simple purchase for
nominal price, after they have SO arranged
the sales that the rings own members know
time and place. 1t is clear that
this humbug cannot continue to be
perpetrated unless the congressman from
the district stands on the side sof the
thieves. for his antagsnism would cause an
investigation which would expose tho
whole plot, but If he is with them. neither
complaint nor protest would help. These
are met by the assurance that the districts
own congressman, who is supposed to
know the conditions, gives the assurance
that both complaints and protests are un-
founded, and that they emanate from
hate, personal hatred, and so the thing is
ended. And SO it has transpired in years
past, in which they have had the member
of congress on their side, and SO it will be
70 L. kI1s- LII
Said one of Knute Nelson's friends to Ed
itor Schroeder, of Normonma Banner, and
to ourselves in Knute Nelson's own Office
in Detroit, ''you talk up the nationality
among your countrymen, we Americans
understand what it MEANS" Why should
we preach the nationality? Was it for
anything else but to help the ring to
choose their man by the aid of the sacred
feeling. We, for our part, will not
agree to such a nefarious deceit.
Should Knute Nelson be chosen to con-
gress it must be because he unquestion-
ably is the best man and of no other pur-
port. IT the ring gets hold of all the pine
we will soon see what lumber will cost out
here on the treeless plains of the northwest,
where we must have this lumber or
freeze to death. The farmer, who on
the open priries now must pay $50. per NJ.
foot for the poorest common lumber, will
if he votes for Knute Nelson, help the
lumber ring to screw up the prices yet
more after the first have obtained control
of balance of the pine in the district. Yet
we will admit that it is possible that Knute
Nelson, if elected will act without regard
to the pine ring, but it is not probable, as
long as he is receiving their material aid
in the struggle. Neither is it probable,
that Knute Nelson in congress, would act
more honest in the interest
of his continents, than did he in
Minnesota's legislature, and right here we
come to an episode in his life
which we have ourselves heard his warm
est friends condemn, much as Knute
Nelson would like to conceal it. What
we have to say is so revolving that the
lover of right will recoil with Indignation
over such a representative of the
people, and who in SO shameful manner
could wrong the poor and therefore de-
fenceless class of his constituents. We
have hitherto been silent on this subject
as we lacked proof, and without such we
will not assail the character of any one.
We. have in the meantime obtained such
proofs, and ignorant but well-meaning
countrymen. who intended to vote for