St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-20
And Tries to Explain His Con-
neetion With the Great
Northern Railway.
He Was Only Attorney for
That Railway for a Time,
He Says.
First District Democrats to
Meet at Austin On Next
Tuesday,
And Democrats of the Third
On Aug. 3f--LaWler Will
Address Both

They are badly ratified" was the ex-
pressive phrase used by one of the Re-
publicanS who is not with his party
this trip, yesterday, in speaking Of the
situation from Republican standpoint.
'Nelson himself is greatly worried over
the outlook, am told by friends who
are we'll acquainted with things on the
inside. This is the first time he has
been placed before the people in his
true light, the attorney and the person.
al candidate of the most powerful and
most arrogant railway corporation in
the state; and neither MIR. Nelson nor
his managers seem TO know what to
do"
In this interview is contained fail
diagnosis of the situation. Mr.. Nelson
came to st. Paul yesterday morning. and
spent the day skurrying between the
state capitol and the Republican head
quarters in the Endicott. He looked
worried. and his looks no doubt reflected
his real feelings.
Have the managers given out word to
the Republican papers of the state that
they must ignore the charge that MIR.
Nelson is the Great Northern candi-
date?
1t looks that way. For several weeks
preceding the nomination of Mr.. Mel
son, and for short time afterWard the
Republican papers, thinking, DOUBTLESS,
to aid the party, devoted great deal of
space to denials of these charges. Some
OF the papers held that Mr.. Nelson had
never been the attorney of the Great
MOI thern, or its antecedent corporations,
the Manitoba and the st. Paul IL Pacific;
others, knowing that it was not safe to
make denials too sweeping. admitted
that MI. Nelson had been the attorney
Of the old Manitoba, but claimed his
connection with the road had ceased
dozen years ago; and still others an
SWered the charge with the remarkable
statement that Mr.. Nelson had, once
upon time, taken a damage case
against the Great Northern.
The latter class of papers were evil
IDENTIFY wrong. for Mr.. Nelson, in de-
fenSive interview given to an evening
paper i'll Minneapolis yesterday, made
no mention of this damage case, but de-
clared that he had taken a number of
land cases against the Northern Pacific.
the Great Northern, or Manitoba and
their predecessors. In this interview
years in congress he had always been
on the peoples side, citing the inter-
state commerce act as one example, and
nting at land grant forfeiture bills
which he failed to mention by name.
This may be simply an inadvertency,
and then again it may have been be-
cause the bills he favored were intro
duced against some rival of the Great
Northern.
1t is a matter of record that Mr.. Mel
son did not vote for any bill against the
@,.klN h L.
North Dakota and in Northern Mime
sofa were then. as now, demanding re-
lief. Nearly four years ago and just
before MIR. Nelson retired from con-
gress it was reported, and not denied,
that he had entered the service of the
Great Northern. This is the way Mr..
Nelson treated this report yesterday:
During the winter of 1SSS-S9," said
Mr.. Nelson. while the senatorial con-
test was pending at st. Paul, the GLOBE
and the News. for purposes which L
cannot explain, circulated the story
that | was hired by the Great Northern
railroad as its counsel at salary of
$4,000 a year, and that was the reason
why 1 was about to quit congress.
Never was greater falsehood invented
out OF whole cloth.''
Is it not strange that Mr.. Nelson did
not think OF denying this report until
he had entered upon campaign for
governor?
During the past three years Mr.. Mel
son has not made a practice of announc-
ing his visits to St. Paul. but, neverthe-
less but few days Or weeks have gone
by without his visiting the city. Some
times he registered at one of the up
town hotels, but more frequently he did
not. But Mr.. Nelson always dtsap-
peared for time shortly after his
arrival i'll the city, and question re-
garding his whereabouts invariably
ELECTED the reply:
MIR. Nelson is probably at the Great
Northern Office"
And this intimate connection with the
Great Northern has not been broken
off since Mr.. Nelson's nomination fer
governor by the Republicans. His ban
quet at the Minnesota club with Presi-
dent Hill few days after his nominal
ton was chronicled in the Pioneer
Press and the Dispatch, both staunch
Republican papers. and yesterday as
President Hill entered ST. Paul's gates
from the East MI. Nelson came in from
the West.
But there was no public banquet yes
terday.