Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1900-02-14


sIt was this conservatis 81, q this re-
spect for the estab lished order, and
natural 81 atty to the government in
power. lat made them here, almost
withou6 exception, epublicans, and
had made them stead fastin thatfa .
It was not their love Of kings that
made them repub leans. We deny it.
Atthat time, at least not apparent.
there was no imperiAlistic tendencies
in the republican party. When they
came to this country they accepted the
new order Of things, swore allegiance
to the Constitution Of the U. S. and
renowned all allegiance to any for
eign potentate. It was the great rec
ord of the republican party of having
liberated the slaves that attracted the
Swedes. 1t was the great genius of
an immortal Lincoln and his com-pat-
riots that appealed, not to their soon
servatism" but to their love of liber-
ty. It was broad craftsmanship that
gave these home-seekers free home
steads that helped to place these emf
grants in therepublicanc column. Hav-
ing repudiated the p"incip es of the
early days OF the party, having thrown
Lincoln's advice and sayings to the
winds, having even repud lated their
homestead law, having become the
party of the would-be aristocratic
money-grabbing classes: and having
misinterpreted the Constitution of the
United States in order to found an
empire to take the place Of the Repub-
liz, these soulless politicians nowdare
to brazenly intimate that the Swedes
have sworn allegiance to the Repub-
lican party and cannot leave it, re-
CARELESS of where it leads them! We
will see! When it comes to a question
Of right or wrong, freedom or oppres-
sion, liberty or slavery, you will find
that the instincts of the Swedish char
acter are true and loyal to the Con-
stitution which they have sworn to
support and to themselves who are
the only sovereigns they need recog.
nize if this remains 4 land of the free.
Then follows the following, which
shows that the animus of the writer is
to diacredit Gov. Lind:
"Why then should they change their
party fealty, their beliefs, at the threat
Of Lind? 1t may have been natural
for many through pride in a fellow
country man, to vote for him for gov
ernor, especially as he claimed two
years ago to be a republican on all
but the silver-question. But will they
follow him further? Will they give
up their convictions to promote his
political ambitious, to make him
again governor, or maybe U. S. SEN
ator."
Can this defamer Of the Swedes point
out one instance where Gov. Lind has
made a threat or even asked for a
vote from a country-man on the plea
of nationality? No, not one. If he
had merely wanted to be governor or
senator would he not have tried for
that inside Of the party of which he
was an honored member. Lind did
not claim to be republican at the
last election. He said be was polit.
ical orphan. He did not give up his
convictions, as all the republicans
did that followed their party leaders
away from the old landmarks of re-
publicanism. He opposes the destruc-
ton Of the peoples money, he opposes
the trusts, and he opposes imperial
ism and militarism. He doesn't know
yet with what party he will affiliate in
the future, but he does know what his
principles are. He has grasped the
deep meaning Of passing events and
he warns his country-men. A greater
or more noble character cannot be
found in the nation. His manly stand
for liberty and truth has attracted the
attention of the nation. John Lind
guilty of bartering his country mems
votes for an offic.? Never! The sland-
erer proceeds:
"Will the Swedes, as has been said,
most loyal to their government, with
an Unborn respect for those in author
ity, sanction by their votes the snub-
bling of the President of the United
States when Minnesota's guest?'
If by snub is meant the living truth
that the volunteer soldier of America
is not fitted for wars of conquest "be-
cause he carries a conscience as we'll
as gun,' uttered when the Thir-
teenth Minnesota returned, and the
president on his stumping tour made
use of the occasion to announce the
new program of expansion by con-
quest Gov. Lind showed the mettle OF
his manhood by making that state
ment. Gov. Lind did not snub the
president, but the committee of poll
ticians who had invited the president
did snub the Cover nor.
When the man greatest in authority
in the nation made use of an occa-
sion of that kind for making a polit-
ical speech, it seems that the man
greatest in authority in the state might
be pardoned for uttering plain truth,
complimentary OF the men whose home
coming they were celebrating.
''Will they, remembering Sweden g
glorious record in war, sanction by
their votes, Mr.. Lind in encouraging
the enemies of his country in time Of