The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1891-12-31
sAUK CENTRE TERALD
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 81, 1891.

A few Republican weekly papers are
urging Knute Nelson for governor next
year. but the daily press OF The party is
preserving a silence that tells more clo-
quently than words that SO far as the
"machine" has anything to say about 1t
Knute Nelson isn't in it. 1t would seem,
therefore, that the Sank Centre Herald
is a little premature in saying that:
THE nomination of Hon. Knute Nell
son for governor in 1892 is pretty gen
orally accepted throughout the state as
q foregone con ,lusion, providing, of
course, that he Wilt accept, which is by
no means certain. Senator Buchanan is
credited with the remark that he did not
favor Mr.. Nelson as the republican party
ought not to wage an apologize CAM
paign next year. Well, well! If the
genial ex-senator from the Morrison
Ramsey districts feels called upon to
apologize for Mr.. Nelson, he has the right
to do so-but who will apologize for the
senator? The republican party won't
need to set any back fires with Mr.. Mel
son as its candidate. He has no defense
to make-he needs none"
1t is probably true that Knute Nelson
needs no defense. 1t is difhcnlt to offer
any defense of q man whose position on
public questions robody knows any
thing about. 1t must. however, be said
to Nelson's credit that he was manly
and right once in his life. 1t happened
while he was IN congress few years
ago and seems to have been a mere
spasm. For a few minutes, at least, the
record shows he was, or pretended to be,
a tariff reformer. Either he was at the
time talking in his hat" as the phrase
goes, Oh else the exigencies of party
politics compelled him to stifle his con.
victions at the behest Of the party man.
ayers. During the state campaign of
1890 Mr.. Nelson, under instructions
from Governor Merriam, protruded upon
the public vision as a high-bound pro-
tectionist of the strictest sect. Hence, to
know just where he stands on the great
economic and political questions OF the
day is good 1eal like trying to spear
jelly fish with broom stick. The use
lessness in trying to defend such man
Is obvious-even to the Sank Centre
Herald. A man has got to have, politi-
cally speaking, local habitation and
name-you must be able to lind him
before you can defend him. Minneap.
oils Times.
In the admission made bv the Times
that it is the country rather than the
two great cities, the people rather than
the politicians. who demand Mr.. Nelson
for governor, it affirms all that the
HERALD claims-that Mr.. Nelson will be
the next governor of Minnesota by
very pronounced preponderance of votes.
1t requires no political search warrant
to find where he stands upon the vital
issues of the day, and the insinuation
that he wears some ones collar is further
from the truth than the Times usually
gets. He had the courage of his convic-
tionS when in congress, has had them
ever since, and has them now. Not only
so-but his convictions are thoroughly
consistent. All he fought for on the
tariff question when in congress, was
conceded in the Mckinley bill, with per-
haps the single exception OF greatly
reduced tariff on wool, and he therefore
gives that wisest of measures his cordial
support. He is now, and has ever been,
a believer in and advocate OF the policy
of protection, his only difference with
others within the party has been upon
the details OF the schedule. If there is
any political vice from which his skirts
are absolutely clean it is that of time
serving demagoguery. Perhaps the
Times cannot comprehend the full value
and consistency OF such a political course
but it will have plenty of opportunity of
witnessing its exemplitication during
Mr.. Nelson's incumbancy as Governor
of Minnesota. ...