The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1890-10-30
KNIT NELSON AT MINNEAPOLIS.

in this audience am glad of ia
lot of laboring men-men of the COM
mon people and I rejoice at it. l
want to say this to you: Forty-one
years ago last July, mother and l land
ed at Castle Garden, New York, $35 in
debt. [Applause. From that day on to
the beginning of the war it was a hard
Ny surroundings and en-
vironments were that of poverty. |
grew up in the midst of it: it colored
my whole mind, my notions and ideas
and being. And from that day to this
Il can't help tiny sympathies and
my heart and my feelings all run out
to you laboring men: Applause:
While have no antipathy and no feel
ing against the rich, those who live in
nice palaces, but when I am among
I must tell you the
truth on this occasion-1 feel like
ONE OF The LOST TRIBES
of Israel. My life has always been
with you; my sympathies are with
you. There never is strike but what
1 sympathize with you, if you are strik-
ing justly, pray God for your success.
If ! on strike unjustly even then pity
you, for know the trials and tribula-
tons and struggles and sorrow of your
family and children.
"Now, gentlemen, I know many of
you feel at times as though you are in
jured. Some of you in the shape of
the Alliance and Labor party, are on a
strike this fall. You are on sort of
political strike. Now, 1 want to say
this to you, my friends, in all candid
ness, you who have been Republicans
in the past, stay with me in the Re-
publican party, and I will JOIN you in
any honest fig int Applause if there is
anything that is amiss, any wrong to
be righted, 1 will join you; the people
in the backroods will help you men
of the city, and I believe there is no
place so good to- effect these reforms
and accomplish what you want as
within the realms of the Republican
party. Great applause:}
If you 60 out 'on strike by your
selves-and you know how many
strikes fail q refer to business strikes),
you know how many just strikes fail
because they are not at the proper
time OF in the proper surroundings or
haven't the good will of the commune
ty-if you are out on strike by your
self, you are like battery advanced
in the line of battle away ahead on the
hill. You are subject to the enemy's
fire.
YOU DRAW THEIR FIRE,
and you accomplish no good. A bat
terry to b. effective in time of battle
must have the solid support of the in
fantry behind it, and you laboring
men who are in striking mood, stay
with the Republican party. Have the
infantry of that party to back your
basteries, and you will demolish the
Democracy and all other dangerous
and blighting things in the community
[ Applause.
''There is another thing and then I
am done. I see a great many of my
countrymen, Swedes and Norwegians
here -Scandinavians. We have that
faculty that we know one another in
the dark" Laughter and applause.
Mr.. Nelson: Il see in this audience
a great many of my countrymen
Swedes and Norwegians, commonly
called by the general name of Scandi,
navians-though Ibelieve no one cares
particularly for the name. I am glac
to see SO many of you here. Now,
want to tell you little something why
1 am proud of you. Do you know thai
the two greatest Republican states ii
the West (west of the MississippD are
the states of Minnesota and Kansas
and do you know that the state OF Kan
sas was colonized and settled by the
cream Of New England, by those true
and tired abolitionists, the very cream
and intelligence of this country, aye
the moral sense of it; and it is pride
to mo to know that the state of Min
nesota, settled as thickly as it is by
Scandinav1ans, stands shoulder t.
shoulder with that state settled by tn
cream Of New England, the state o
Kansas. Applause.
"What makes Minnesota so strong
Republican state? 1t is you Swede
and Norwegians within her borders
How comes it, my friends. that in thi'
broad land nearly every large city is
Democratic city, except two III ted in
stances? There is Chicago, the grea
metropolis, of the West, there is you
own city, the great metropolis of Min
nesota in the Northwest trem ndou
applause]; you are the two great OK
captions. Chicago has population o
over 100000 of Scandinavian blood ane
lineage, and l need not tell you how
thick you are here in Minneapolis. l
is you Scandinavians that have made
Chicago a Republican city, it is yol
Scandinavians who have made Mime
apolis a Republican city. Applause.
If the city down the river had as man,
Scandinavians as you have, it would
be Republican city instead of being
as it always has been, Democratic
city. [Applause. Now, I want you t.
feel that in this campaign, my friends
you have reputation at stake as mucl
as in the past. You have the STANDARD
of the state and the standard of you
own city to maintain, and hope yol
will show to the world, show to you
sister city, St. Paul, that you are Re
publican to-day as strong and as earn
est as you ever was, and that you will
vote for every man on the ticket, from
the head of it to the end of it; tina
you will be Republicans to the end O.
the chapter; that there is no mug
wumpism,- no renegade Democrat
among you, no men going astray afte
false gods, but that you are genuin
Republican Vi-kings-just as you
forefathers we're thousand years ago.
| lTramandous annlause and cheers