St. Paul daily globe., 1888-06-18

IruLn, ana C0ulU see no reason WnN
the recommendations sent to congress-
should not, in the main, be complied
| with at an early day."
Just now there is a tendency on the
! part of certain Republican politicians
| to take back or qualify earlier utter.
| anceS, so that some narrow foothol6
| may be found from which party war.
fare may be carried on: but it is stilE
true that the message is acceptable to-
thousands of thoughtful Republicans,
| especially to farmers, and it will be diff
fcult to keep them in the party if the
| platform adopted at Chicago shall Op-
pose a reduction of duties. The de-
mand for reduction is especially strong
among the NOrwegianS and Swedes and
generally throughout the agricultural
regions. A few years ago the Scandi-
navians. as they are called, were Re-
| publicanS to man. In 1884 many
voted on the other side, and there is
reason to believe that others will join
| them this year. n
There is in session to-day Knute NeIs
| sons district. the Fifth, congressional
| convention, which will choose Nelson's
| successor. This district stretches acrosS
the northern part of the state, and
| covers thirty counties. A majority Of
| the ScandiDavians in the state live In
these counties. Nelson is easily the
most powerful of their representatives
| in public life. He voluntarily retire5
| from the field. probably because he de-
| sires to take Sabin's place in the senate. |
1t seems to be admitted that he can take
that place, or any other Office which iS'
| filled by Minnesota votes, if he wants
| it and asks for it. The number of votes.
| in the district has risen from 35 600 in
| 1882 to about $4,000 now. Six years ago
| the Democratic candidate received
| about 5000 of them. Two years later
the Democratic vote was swelled to
$4,000. In some of the counties the
party polled four times as, many votes
as in 1882. In 1856, the Democrats
put no no ticket . in in the field,
gubernatorial election showed that
the district was still undergoing
change and that thousands of votes were
no longer bound by party ties. McGill
was elected by $500 votes, while the
lieutenant governor had a majority Of
more than 10000. Counties in the Fifth
district which had always been republi-
can became
DEMOCRATIC.
Party lines were broken down in that
contest, the issue being regarded as one
relating to corporations and so-called
monopolies. So great is Nelson's popu-
larity that nothing could defeat him in
the district now if he should be nomi-
mated, nor could the Democrats hope to
make even fair showing if the nominee
should be one of his friends. But if
neither the platform nor the man
should be wholly satisfactory to the Re-
publican rank and file. and if the Re-
publicans of the state should renomi-
nate McGill. the Democrats would be
encouraged to try the temper of the dis
trict. The attitude of the so-called
Scandinavian press deserves attention.
The NOrwegians and Swedes of the
Northwest have many papers of their
own. A resident of the state who
has made inquiry concerning these
papers and the course which they
will probably take in the campaign, has
given me some information about them.
Four years ago there were two Nor
wegian papers, he says, that supported
Cleveland. One of them had been way
ering, and it grasped the opportunity to
go over. The other had been Repub-
lican, but it came our squarely for the
Democratic ticket, and has been friendly
to the administration. He thinks that
this one, if the Republicans should
nominate Gresham on low tariff plat
form, would support the Republican
ticket. but if the platform should not be
low tariff he is of the opinion that the
paper would stand by Cleveland even if
Gresham should be selected. There is
published in Chicago Norwegian paper
of large circulation which favOrs a high
tariff. Another. also published
in that city, is conducted by
Republicans; and viii probably
These papers are circulated in Minne-
sofa. On the other hand, an influential
Norwegian weekly. published iu this
state, will work for Cleveland. An
other published in Minnesota calls for a
Low TARIFF.
1t was on the fence for time In 1884.
but finally came out for Blaine. 1t
would not, in my infOrmant's opinion,
support Blaine this time, but would ac-
cept Gresham. Still another Minnesota
weekly is an Independent Democratic
journal, and will stand by the Demo-
cratic ticket. No one of these papers,
he adds, has less than 1000 subscribers,
and in most cases the circulation is be-
tween 10000 and 10000. 1t appears from
these statements that the revolt among
the Scandinavians, and especially
among the Norwegians, may be seen in
the papers which are nearest to them.
The Democratic managers have circu-
lated among the NOrwegianS and SwedeS
thousands of copies of the presidents
message translated for their conven-
ience. By all accounts the message was
very satisfactory to these people.
The vote of the state for president
may be affected by the contest over
state officers, and with reference to this
matter the Farmers alliance must be
taken into account. The executive
committee of this organization has rec
ommended the nomination of Albert
Scheffer, president of the Commercial
National bank in this city. to be gov
ernor. The Farmers alliance became
powerful in Minnesota a few years ago
as the organization by means of which
the farmers, especially the wheat grow
ers. undertook to procure relief from
the exactions of the railroad companies.
The wheat growers of the Red river
valley appealed to the president of the
Manitoba road in 1884. Speaking of
that appeal, Thomas G. Hodgson, late
lecturer of the alliance, says that
promise was made that rates should be
reduced and that rates were reduced for
representative locality only cent per
100 pounds, or from % to 22 cents. The
rate for the same service is now 1919
cents, but since 1884 the alliance has ac-
complished something
IT MADE A FIGHT
for the legislature and procured the en-
actment of the present railroad commits
sion law, taking the inspection and
grading of grain out of the hands of the
milers and: placing the work in the
hands of state officers. The law also
empowered the commission to fix rates.
Mr.. Hodgson says that the alliance sup
ported McGill for governor after his
nomination, because it had been led to
believe that he would stand by the
farmers, but after his election the farm
ers were disappointed. Now they pro-
pose to take time by the forelock in the
campaign, and they have selected cam
didate long before the holding of the