St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-07
THE FOREIGN VOTE.
1t Amounts to Something in This
State, and Nelson Knows 1t.


State, and Nelson Knows 1t.
Knute Nelson is diplOmatiSt. He is
making in that role remarkably brill
liant canvass for United States senator.
His first move was in his speech on sec
ton of the interstate commerce bill, at
MankatO, last year. In that he arrayed
himself solidly against grasping mOnOp-
OlieS, and took up the cudgelS for The
farmer. Then he announced that his
tariff reform views were so radical that
he was not i'll harmony with his own
party. Now he rises in congress and
defends the rights of the foreign citizen
and voter. Granting that he did this as
matter of principle, is it not natural to
suppose that the exceedingly large for
eign population of Minnesota will be
more than grateful to him? The for
eign population and vote OF Minnesota
is not to be SneeZed at when Soberly
contemplated. In 1856 the population
of the state was as follows:
Norwegians. 92,42S
Scandinavians }Swedes. 90,735
lDales. ..'.''....''' 1d'6S2
Germans. ............... l2,9Z6
irish. ........... OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 3i,SO1
EnSllSh OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1Z,oJZ
Other foreign born. 50, JAG
In the gubernatorial campaign of
1856 the basis of voters to population
was as one to five. On this proportion
the vote of the state would be divided
as follows:
Native vote. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ......13I IA
Norwegian Vote....... .............-. 1S.4S2
SWede vote. ........................ 10,I4.
Danish vote......... ................ 2.335
German vote OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 22,9S2
Irish vote. ............'.......... -. 6'3600
English vote ............ ........- Z,ooo
Other foreign vote. ................... 17.029
Reorganization Foreign vote ........ S. '499
Total .............. ..''..... ,9@4
This table would be accurate enough
for all essential purposes if it were
true that the natives voted their
full strength. They do not. Good
Judges say that Of the native population
(and particularly in the larger cities
not more than one in eight or nine vote,
while of the foreign element at least
one in every four vote. 1t is not in
tended to explain here why this is so,
but it is, and it is only necessary to
watch the polls to prove it. These facts
change the actual native and foreign
vote to about these figures. 1t is as
sumed that nearly full vote is polled.
Native vote on basis of l IL S...... s., 800
Norwegian, basis in 4............... %, 10Y
Swede, basis in ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 20, 1873
Danish Observation-Disclosures. ......... 2,946
German. ......... NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 2S, 23l
Irish. ....s................ I,9oO
Engnsn. ......'''....''''. 800
Otner foreign. ................. Il; 1oo
Mr.. Nelson is a Norwegian. A glance
at this last table or the first, shows that
the Scandinavians hold the balance of
political power in this state. Their
combined vote in hot campaign is
over $1,000, and some of their own
nationality assert that their actual vot-
ing strength is anywhere between 10000
and $4,000. Be that as it may, the fact
is apparent that the Scandinayians
are the voting power of the
state. Next to them stand the
Germans, and then the Irish. The
native vote of the state could not carry
a campaign without the assistance of
one OF the other Of the elements COM
posing the foreign vote. Mr.. Nelson
Undoubtedly sees the point. He thinks
he has little to fear from the Merriam
Sabn combine. He is friendly to Schef-
fer and laughs at McGill. All he de-
sires is the backing of the anti-railroad,
anti-taritf, and the foreign votes, and
these secured, he has nothing to fear.
"Nelson is more uncomfortable than
Donnelly," says a Republican. "He is