St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-31
NELSON'S DISGRACE.
There Was No Reason for His
Assault on Tobias
Sauby.
No Attempt Was Made to
Break Up His Meeting as
Alleged.
A Republican Paper Throws
All the Blame on
Nelson.
Maj. Baldwin Has Won the
Battle in the
Sixth.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
ELBOW LAKE. Oct. 30.-The attempt
of the Republicans to distort the dis
graceful attack of Knute Nelson upon
one OF the men who turned out to hear
him at his meeting in this place into
something creditable to the candid ate
has disgusted oven the strongest Re-
publicans, and will cost him many votes
where the true facts are known. In the
first place, there was no "OrganiZed
attempt to break up the meeting" nor
was there any great disorder at any
time during the meeting except when
Mr. Nelson was attempting to choke
Tobias Sauby, who, sitting with a
child in his arms. was in no
position to defend himself. Mr..
Sauby, as matter of fact, was not the
man who asked Mr.. Nelson question,
but even if he had been, man big
enough and broad enough to be COVER
nor of this state would have been
courteous enough to have answered the
question.
The whole trouble began by one of
Nelson a question. In an instant Mr..
Nelson was mad clear through. and he
made an insulting reference, not to the
man who asked the question, but to Mr..
Sauby, wnom he has long known as one
of the most prominent Norwegians in
the county. and who, he thought, ought
to be Nelson man because the
latter happens to be a fellow country
man. Mr.. Sauby objected to the insult
ing words, as he had given no cause
for them. This only enraged Mr.. Mel
son the more, and he shouted in a loud
tone that Mr.. Sauby should ''shut up."
Not caring to be placed III false
the bully on the stage was now almost
Frotlling at the Mouth.
and he demanded that Mr. Sauby be
fired out of the meeting. There were
plenty of Republicans present, but they
saw no reason for ejecting Sauby, and
not one of them stirred. This only in
creased Nelson's wrath, and, leapng off
the stage, he rushed at Mr.. Sauby and
attempted to choke him, not even the
child in his arms having any effect OH
him.
These are the plain facts of the mat
ter, and the whole difficulty IS to be
charged to the ili-temper and malicious
ness of Knute Nelson. Up to two years
ago he was able to influence his fellow
cOuntrymen to a large extent in politics,
for the reason that they had confidence
in him. His peculiar course two years
ination made to catch the votes of his
countrymen has completely failed.
When Mr. Nelson appeals to his coun-
trymen this year to vote for him they
remember the fact that two years ago
Mr.. Nelson sent personal letters in be-
half of Comstock. the railroad and cor
poration candidate, all over the
district. and especially to his old
acquaintances in Grant county. The
coarse and brutal nature of Nelson can
not brook independence on the part of
the people whose votes he was nomi-
mated to catch. Tobias Sauby is Nor
wegian, but he is opposed to Knute
Nelson, and the latter's anger at this
accounts for his disgraceful assault on
Mr.. Sauby at the meeting last Wednes-
day evening, If there are any who
doubt this story they only need to read
the account of the affair published in the
Elbow Lake Herald of last Thursday.
Being Republican paper, and bitterly
opposed to Mr.. Sauby, yet the Herald
account really confirms every state
Ul6uG uldQe ABOVE. LII IOllOWS.
What Nelson's own Friends Say:
The only circumstance that marred |
the splendid meeting of Tuesday euen-
ing, addressed by Hon. Knute Nelson.
was the attempt of the literary tail of |
the POmme de Terre ring to place itself |
on record. Without previously asking
permission, as good taste would sug-
gest, this useless literary appendage of
a formidable clan proceeded to inter
rupt the speaker. Some three hairs of
the tail had thus bristled to the only
half-suppressed amusement of the
announced that the fame of the Pomme
de Terre ring had reached even his
ears. Tobias O. Sauby at once
applied the shoe to his political
foot and hotIy resented the impu-
tation that he had made the Interrupt
ton. Mr.. Nelson laconically told him
to ''shut up his mouth" Mr.. Sauby
made the mistake of thinking it was
his meeting instead of Mr.. Nelson's.
and would not allow the speaker to
proceed without correction or apology.
MIR. Nelson lad bce'DGo annoyed with
the loud whispering. which had CEN
time and in which Mr.. Sauby
had taken part, that he did
not propose TO make any apol-
ogies for stepping on Mr.. Sauby's toes.
The chairman, j. W. Reynolds, of Her.
man, asked Sauby to desist and the
speaker sternly commanded him to
''shut his mouth" No one appearing
to be willing to compel submission, Mr..
Nelson quickly stepped down in the
audience and shut off Mr. Sauby's
wind. The speaker then continued
with the best order that has prevailed
at Republican meeting in Elbow
Lake for some years. The Prohibition
lists. PopulistS and Democrats have
never been treated in an unseemly
manner by local Republicans. 1t will
doubtless be handed down as OF the
Pomme de Terre clan that tradition
among the descendants one of their
chiefs was publicly choked by a real
live and muscular governor.
The Herald regrets that the circum-
stance should have occurred, but it is
fact that decent order ct even religious
services was getting to be a thing of
the past i'll Elbow Lake. Hon. Knute
Nelson called vivid attention to it in
plain manner. In the slightly changed
language of his distinguished opponent
for governor. Mr.. Nelson virtually pro-
claimed: IF | am treated in an insult
ing manner, am able to take care of
myself, and always seize above the col
lar"
In the account given above, written
by Mr.. Nelson's friends, no sane man
can find reason or warrant for Mr.. Mel
sons disgraceful actions.