St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-08-25
st. Paul, Aug. "a.
Cute Knute Nelson.

New York Marine Journal.
This representative of Minnesota in
congress who ShrinkS with horror from
voting for any bill having for its object
fair compensation for ocean mail service
performed by American steamship lines,
has had no qualms of conscience about
engineering certain railroad bills
through congress, which will rebound
to the interest of himself. His patriot
ism is of the thrifty kind and is of the
Nelson OF Minnesota brand. Recently
against what he calls subsidy" show
ing how Norway, of which God forsaken
country he is fine specimen of native,
did not substitute shipping and was
prosperous. Cute knute Nelson failed
to say, however, that the first cost of a
Norwegian vessel is about one-half that
of ours, owing to the cheapneSS of labor
and material, that the crews are only
half-paid and fed, and that the expense
of manning them is at least Onehalf
what it costs to man American vessels.
The Norwegian sailor costs about %
cents day to sustain on shipbOard, and
he gets about SO a month. The low
rate of wages and the poor quality of
food has driven many of them into our
commercial marine, where they get from
SIS to $50 per month. They find they
can do better here than in Norway, and,
like the thrifty and virtuous Cute
knute Nelson, they immigrate.
A. c. Buell., of Washington, in a re-
cent letter sheds a flood of light on Nor
wegian ships and sailors. He says:
II have seen something of Norwegian
ships and sailors. | was once a passen-
ger in small Norwegian steamer be
tween Helsingfors, Finland, and Elsln-
hn,Nr,,nrl- hn 4ai, Of +ba
steamer received 100 krondaler per
month; the deck hands, fremen, ETC., Ii
krondaler per month.
"a krondaler is worth about 25 cents,
our money. So the captain got S25
month and the crew 81 a month apiece.
The fare Oh the captains table, which
know all about, because | had to share
it, was salt meat, dried fish, potatoes,
black bread and coffee, for breakfast
and dinner. For lunch it was smoked
fish and black bread, with water from
the scuttle-butt. The fare of the men
was dried fish, black bread and coffee,
with salt meat and potatoes on Sunday.
Three times week they got a gill of
grog, made of raw alcohol and water,
half and half. They seemed to relish
this fare, though their fish emitted an
odor which rendered the forecaStle an
unpleasant neighborhoOd for an Ameri-
can at mess hours"
There caa be no doubt but that if
American sailors could be induced TO
adopt the wages and fare of Mr. Mel
som; countrymen we should have a
merchant marine that would drive all
others out of competition, and no sub
Sidy would be needed. Mr.. Nelson
should not have omitted these pregnant
facts.
Mir. Nelson, the Norwegian i'm
migrant, who has been pitchforked in
to the American congress by the votes
| of his fellow immigrants who infeSt
| and overrun Minnesota, should bear
| himself with more modesty in the
| country of his adoption, through whose
| good Datured laXity in her immigration
laws he is permitted to enjoy all of
| the privileges OF, a native born Ameri-
can citizen. 1t is in extremely bad
taste for him to set himself up as our
| instructor in matters affecting our mer-
chant marine and to hold up his
wretched, poverty stricken fatherland
as an example for the United States
! to follow. The foreign born element
| in congress should sing smaller. There
is growing feeling i'll this country
against the dOmineering, arrogant and
| impertinent dispositions they manifest
to have us guide ourselves by their worn
| out and effete standards, as practiced
| on the other side of the Atlantic.
II think" said the minister, who was
visiting a parishioner, THAT it is easier
to coax children than to drive them.
Gentle words are more effective than
harsh Ones" 81 think so, too,'' said the
LAZY. tenderly. Shen she raised her
window and suddenly shouted to her
boy; Johnnie, if you don't come in
out of that mud-puddle this minute I'll
break your back"
| Drink and be merry! What the morrow
| brings
No mortar knoweth; wherefore toll or run
Spend while thou mayst; eat; fix on present
| things
Thy hopes and wishes; life and death are
| one. y
| One moment; grasp LIES goods, to thee they
| fall;
Dead, thou has nothing, and another all.