Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-16

him, and had he used his power judicious-
ly, refraining from violent polit-
ical action, and had his polite
al course been honest and manly. he
might have still confined to WELD it and
gradually have extended his influence, but
like all small souls, he became enlarged
in his own estimation until he imagined
that he ruled the empire of Dane county
and could dictate to the Republican party
there. There were, however, many other
intelligent Norwegians in the county who
soon took Knute's measure and who gave
him to understand that while he might be
perhaps great gun in his own assembly
district, yet as dictator to the county at
large he was failure.
BOLTS HIS SUCCESSOR.
His domineering and treacherous polit-
ical course soon developed strong oppo-
sition to his supremacy even in his own
home district, and in the fall of 1879 he
found himself unable to either secure the
nomination himself or to dictate who his
being the nominee. Mr., Nelson at once
and squarly bolted the nomination and
where he had twice been supported by
the entire Republican party
of his district he did all that his waning
influence would admit of to defeat Mr..
Chandler.
SUPPORTS SPENCER.
Not being able to dictate to his party,
Knute Nelson sought to destroy it. Bolt
ing nominations became pastime, and
all respectable Republicans dropped him
at once. The crowning act, however, in
political career which might have been
honorable, Gut which was by him rendered
infamous, was his unblushing, brazen sup
port and frantic efforts in the behalf of
one E. A. Spencer, who was, after having
been nominated for the Office of secretary
of state on the Republican state ticket, un-
cerimoniously yanked off by the state CEN
trail committee upon the disclosure of
the fact that he was an embezzler, and
man OF the most Gisreputa5le private
character. The exposure of Spencer,
while it convinced every honest
man in the state, and resulted in the cleo
ton of the man whose name was substi-
tuted by the state central committee, did
not effect Knute Nelson. He was an init
mate associate of Spencer, and knew his
real character vastly better than any one
else, but he only worked the harder for
him, to the intense disgust of every honest
man in Wisconsin. This conduct secured
the entire extinction of what remnant of
influence Nelson may at this time have
possessed even among his Norwegian neigh
bors. No man who persisted in the sup
port of so infamous scoundrel as E. A.
Spencer was proven to be could expect to
be tolerated by honest men, and Nelson
soon found that he, too, was dead and bur-
led in the same infamous political grave
as Spencer, and that either
retirement from political life
or emigration had become necessity.
Ambition being the only God he worship
ed, he concluded to emigrate, and look
ing about him well chose. locality where
the population was Norwegian, of course.
Instead of following him, however, to
point where his political history has been
marked by the same species of treachery
and crookedness with which his Dane coun-
ty record abounds, and the closing chap
ter of which will be completed November
9TH next, I wishi to review, for the bene-
fit those few honest men who
may still be disposed to support
him his legal and moral history, neither of
which will be extensive, as his abilities in
both directions were very limited.
AS LAWYER.
As remarked before, Knute Nelson had
picked up smattering of law, never hav-
ing studied regularly with any one, for
any length of time. nor never having at
tended a law school. Always depending
upon the clanishness of his countrymen to
help him out where he lacked the real
ability to win among people in general,
he opened practice at the village of Cam
bridge in the town of Christiana, Dane
county. AS he was the only lawyer in the
place and as the neighborhood was eeclus-
ire, being largely Norwegian, all of his legal
history was not made public. Some few
facts. however, were dug up lately of some
little consequence as showing his general
disposition to look after the interests of
Knute Nelson if he had to go crooked to do
it. He very soon lost the entire confidence
of even the most unsophisticated of
his Norwegian neighbors and
became known as man who would sell
himself to both sides Of case if the chance
offered. One little incident will give a
clue to his methods. A cousin of his, one
A. Ha!dorson, came up from below to visit
sister near Nelson's home, and was
taken. sick. By some means Knute
Nelson got him over to his mothers place,
where the young man died. Nelson, how
ever, thrifty as ever, had made will for
the young man. and was eventually made
administrator, administering the young
mans entire property to him
self and his people, while the young mans
sister got nothing. As an example of dis
interested family affection this instance is
immensely refreshing, and it also shows
Nelson's aptitude in financial matters to
which the only principal he brought was
the principal of converting every dollar he
could get his hards on into his own pook-
cts.