St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-17
KINDRED VS.. NELSON.
Enliyening Prospects OF q REVIVAL of
rue Interesting Fight
Interviews at Duluth---The Business Men
Again For Kindred.
To the Editor of the Globe:

DuiiHS tHe Congressional contest Ill Tie
/ fifth district two years ago, Duluth was hot
ter than Ingersolrs hades and nosier than
woman's rights convention. The air was
lurid and forked lightning, shot from the
Nelson to the Kindred and from the Kindred
to the Nelson camps, smuggling most OF the
combatants and pcrneating the atmosphere
with a sulphurous odor that has not entirely
disappeared yet.
There are indications beneath the surface
which point to another outbreak. The pot is
beginning to boil again and the Kettle will
surely follow suit. and men who are not pol
iticians will have another chance to wonder
at those WHO are.
Your correspondent has been sounding the
leaders of both factions. and although none
Of them have exhibited tomahawk or eX-
pressed a hankering for sealps, they all talk
as if another war dance could not
be passed by if they get an invitation. There
are some men in Duluth who would spoil like
fish in the sun if they were not stirred up
periodically by political contest, and these
men, like the scriptural warhorse, scent the
battle from afar, and are never without the
war paint handy.
| found Col. Graves, who went to the Dc
troit convention with the st. Louis county
delegates in mis- vest pocket, writing letter
in his Office. The colonel has just returned
from the south. looks well and was as neat as
if he had just come from fashionable bar
ber's. The colonel always does look as smooth
and glossy as 4 French dancing master, and
is model of suave and courteous manners
He received yonr correspondent in very
friendly way, and when | told him my mis-
sion put down his pen and smiled
''I've been away some time and am not
posted much on political details"
''Do you think we are going to have an
other war in the Fifth -
Il can't say. Ny voice is for peace. If
they are going to have fight at Moorhead [
don't see any reason why we should fight in
Duluth. The election last fall settled which
was the regular committee, and l believe tie
Gilman call for delegate convention was
all right They have equally right to make
the cali for Il congressional convention, but
| don't care to see ano Their struggle"
I saw the colonel didn't care to be more
definite, so [ went in search Of Frank Burke
Burke was one of the strongest workers for
Nelson two years ago, and while others were
shooting the air he was &c ting votes. 1t is
well known here that lie was promised the
receivership Of the land office, and when
Mitchell got the nomination Burke put q
brake on his mouth but did power of think
ing. He has since broken from what Is
known as the Nelson crowd, and at
the last municipal election did effective work
in whiting down their usual large MAORI
ties. He has not openly said that he has
gone back on Nelson, but | don't think he
will lose much flesh III working for the little
Norwegian. | met him on the street. ana
without any introduction fired the query:
''Whqt do you think of the Gilman call''
81 think Chat Gilman was hasty. The elec-
ton settled which was the regular commit
tee but the number Of votes east for Kin
dred should have been taken into considers
ton. Gilman might have consulted with the
other committee His hasty action will re-
fleet on Nelson, and the latter will get bam-
ed for what he does not deserve. / believe
that Nelson makes u good congressman,
don't you:'
The correspondent wasn't submitting to an
interview, and seeing T. II. Pressnell, called
him aside.
Pressnell had lots of time on his hands
after the land Office slipped from him, and
put in his best licllS for Nelson. He is of the
opinion that the Kindred committee made
mistake in including call for a con
gressional nomination at the same time with
the delegate convention. There is no ques-
ton of the regularity of the Gilman commit
tee, and we think their late action is alright
''However,;' he added, pm not going to
tear my shirt in the next campaign, and
don't give much attention to the political
matters" And hereby hangs a tale which
is worth repeating Sometime last winter
Pressnel and Burk met Nelson in the Mer-
chants hotel in st. Paul. They were talking
over home office matters, Mitchell's nomina-
ton hanging fire at the time. Nelson said |
that it Mitchell couldn't get it, he would not I
give the place to Il Scandinavian on any ac-
count. The congressman remarked that !
there was already too much talk in Duluth |
about the Scandinavians, and he would do |
nothing to encourage the idea that he was !
favoring his own race. With these assur-
ances, the two Duluthians were satisfied and /
returned home. But presto! When the |
United States senate got streak Of religion |
and look into Mr.. Mitchell's history, they |
refused to confirm him, and Nelson sent in
the name of E. G. Swanstrom, Swede and |
the leader of the Swedes here. Swanstrom
was confirmed and is now varying his |
official duties with game Of old sledge with
Special Agent Eaton. Pressnell wrote to |
Nelson reminding him of his promise, bat |
Nelson's memory was defective, and he re-
fused to plead guilty to the softimpeachment. |
l get this story from a reliable source, und |
think it explains why Pressnen will save his |
shirts at the next election
/ found j. R. Carey, register Of the land |
office, busy at work, but he stopped long |
enough to answer my questions. He had |
Just returned from the meeting of the Nelson |
committee, at which he had proxy for Col. !
Graus. ''Judge CAREY has been called judge |
for time the memory of man runneth not /
to the contrary, what Go you think of the |
Gilman call for a nominating convention ln |
II think the call was regular, made in the !
interest of peace. In the call for a delegate |
convention it was presumed that no counter |
call would be made, inasmuch as the vote |
cast for Kindred was Included, and could be |
fairly rebresented.i
''If the call were made in the interest of |
peace why did the other call to nominate |
a candidate for congress appoint the day pre-
vious 10 the Moorhead conventions. and not |
wait till the day after these conventions?'
''There is no doubt that the inclusion of |
call for congressional nominations in the |
Kindred call was one Of the motives that in
spired the Gilman call, and the holding of |
the convention at Fergus Falls was in defer
ence to the feelings OF the people of Otter
Tail county who wanted one of the con ven