St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-06
HE HAS NO FRIGHT"

A very remarkable statement is that
put forth by the Republican papers who
for some reason or other. unexpresSed,
feel it obligatory upon themselves to
support or excuse the candidacy of Gov.
Nelson for senator. With one accord
they say that the governor has as good
a right 10 become candidate for the
United States senate as any other man.
The governor himself entertalns this
idea, and eXpr essed 1t in his assurance to
Senator Washburn that the latter had
no prescriptivs right upon the office.
Everything depends upon whether we
regard this as legal right or moral
right, whether we look upon it from lis
ethical or pure ly conventional side. AS
legal proposition it is undoubtedly
right. There is nothing III the law
which makes it obligatory upon man
to fulfill his engagement for public
service. 1t is competent for the legis-
lature to abolish the office for which the
people have elected a man, and he is
without redress for what ethics would
regard as a wrong and an injury. But,
when we look upon it from moral side.
it is very clear that Gov. Nelson has no
right to be a candidate for senator, and
that he is in duty bound to fulfill the
obligation that he accepted from the
people and serve his two years as their
governor.
We do not expect that this view will
appeal to the governor, he having given
US in his public career assurance that
moral obligations to the public have
very little binding force upon him, and
he is one of Hosea Bigelow's "ginoolne
statesmen" who, if they must have
convictions, must not believe them too
hard. His action upon the Mills bill
and his subsequent course in regard to
the policy Of that bill is notable in
stance of what we mean. There may be
a difference and reason for the differ
ence with which the law regards a man
who enters into a contract for labor for
a specified time and the man who is
elected to serve the people for fixed
term.
In the domain of ethics there is no
difference, and the man, when elected to
serve the people for specified time. is
as morally bound to fulfill his obliga-
lions as is the person who agrees to en-
ter for term the service Of another
one. Let us see what the effect of this
proposition is. Mr.. Nelson has served
the people of Minnesota for two years
as their governor. He has served SO ac-
ceptably that the party which elected
him felt bound to give him renOmina-
zion. The result of the election indi-
Gates that plurality of the people of
the state were satisfied with the manner
in which he performed his duties, and
desired to retain him for another two
years.
They had the governors assurance
that he was not a candidate for any
other Office, and that if elected he would
serve his term. If now he leaves this
duty and takes seat in the senate, he
breaks tine implied contract he made
with the voters of the state. Not only
that, but he hands the Office of govA
ernor over to a person whom the ma
jority would not have accepted had he
been named by the convention for that
place. 1t is inconceiYable that a ma
jority, or even a plurality, of the voters
of this state, even in this year, when a
yellow dog might have been elected if
nominated on the Republican ticket,
would have Installed Dave Clough in
the governors chair. He is a man with
out reputation or character that will
bear any other label than that of indif-
ferent.
The candidacy, then, of Gov. Nelson
for the senatorship involves breach Of
a tacit contract between himself and the
voters of this state, in that he not only
fails to carry out his agreement to serve
them for two years, but that it places IN
the governors chair man whom the
voters of the state did not elect for that
place, and would not have elected had
he been a candidate. 1t is this double
aspect of the case which refutes the
claim of Mr. Nelson and his supporters
that he had as good right as any other
man to aspire to the senatorship.
Had he been perfectly frank with the
voters of the state. he would have ans
nounced to them before the convention
met which nominated him for governor
that he was candidate for senator, and
if nominated for governor would simply
use that Office as stepping stone by
which to reach the senate. Had he
done this, and then had been elected
governor, there would be no question as
to his right to be a candidate: but had
he done it, he would not today be the
governor-elect of the state of Mime.
sofa.