The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-08-15
We >ARE::.PoP'UttSTS.
so SAWS HENRY LOOMS NELSON
IN THE BOSTON HERALD,
1hersfors We Are for Roosevelt
Republican Party Feeble
and Corrupt.

Henry Loomis Nelson, the well-known
journalist who is professor of political
science in Williams college, is making
a tour Of the west for the Boston Her.
aid. Mr.. Loomis is not great adnirer
Of President Roosevelt, and loses no
opportunity to state his suspicious. As
will be seen from the following excerpts
from his Duluth letter, he attributes
President Roosevelt's popularity in the
northwest to the alleged underlying
populism Of this region:
If one walks from the Spalding, Du-
luth's excellent hotel, toward the Wis
consin city, one soon comes to the wood
en- houses Of a frontier town, the homes
of the workers in the ore and coal docks
and in the sawmills, and to wide streets
that originated in the anticipation Of a.
prosperity for which the town appears
still to be waiting: while in the other
direction, one finds the comfortable
homes Of prosperity.
Money to lend on personnel property
reads the sign on the shop in the east,
while mahogany furniture Is displayed
In the shop window as the road wends
it's way northward to where Duluth
Lake Superior.
Some day in the near future I shall
tell some of the tales Of wonder con-
corning these shores; just now one can
use the contrast Of which have spoken
In explaining the presidents standing
In this part of the country Superior
may revive or it may not, but a goodly
part Of it's population is typical of
the working people and Of the smaller
operators Of the western country These
people are all for Roosevelt, so that, as
a basis for the support which he has
in this part Of the country, are the I'M
thrifty, the unsuccessful speculator and
the labor unions, which are remarkably
strong in Minnesota, strong but wear
ing out their welcome
This is not to say that these people
constitute the whole of Mr.. Rooseyelt's
support In the northwest, but they make
the basis Of 1t, and, as a rule, they fur
nish the crowds which do the shouting
at the railway stations and which are
represented in the press. Nor is the
opposition to MIR. Roosevelt altogether
virtuous, as we shall see later when
We come to examine it, but bad as it is,
and opposed as it is, it is now for him
for want Of another republican,
Let us begin, in our analysis. with
the elements of Mr.. Roosevelt's
strength, and let us go downward to
the class of which we have spoken as
furnishing it's basis. At the top, then,
We find the public sentiment of the
many who regard Mr.. Roosevelt as an
independent. honest and courageous
man. In Minnesota this is a large ell
ement, but Mr.. Roosevelt himself has
furnished an opportunity for it's disinte-
grafton at some future time. We are
here in the home Of the Great Northern
and the Northern Pacific railroads. and
In this lass We find the: people, aside
from those who are directly and peeun-
larly interested in the roads, who are
grateful to them for the building up of
the country. The manner in which
these roads are operated makes, of
course, for the prosperity of the region.
The chief characteristic of the north
vests support of Mr.. Roosevelt is that
1t is precisely the support which Mr..
Bryan possessed few short years ago.
Indeed, the precise truth of the political
situation in the northwest is that Mr..
Roosevelt has succeeded Mr.. Bryan as
the popular idol. He is not for is to 1,
it is true, but he has caught the imag-
nations Of the same people who in 1896
and 1900 went wild over Mr., BRYAN.
''Mr. Roosevelt Is the candidate of the
man with a grievance,( who is ready to
strike at the first prosperous head in
order to remedy it. He is the friend of
the 'down-trodden.' He favors govern
ment paternalism the expenditure of
government money for the poor and
needy. He has faith In building up
prosperity by grants from the treasury.
and, Notwithstanding the evidence be-
fore every mans eyes that this is a
poor sort Of policy, it is popular.
The railroads in this section, operat-
ing on their own account, do more for
the country than the government does.
and am within bounds in saying that
the Great Northern railroad has done
more for the northwest. and has ex-
pended there more money judicious1y
than the government has expended, or
than it is likely to expend for many
years to come, Notwithstanding the
promise Of government irrigation of the
arid regions Of Montana The benefic-
ence and magnificence Of private en-
terprise seems to be forgotten, because
the larger the bestowal of benefits upon
community the larger are the profits
Of the bestowing corporation, and
profits are unpopular In the northwest
at least profits that are earned by
sound railroad management; profits
that are made my timber thieves and
predatory cattle men are different mat
tiers.
Mr.. Roosevelt increases his popular
ity in the west by his enthusiastic ex-
preston of the belief that he wants the
general parent of us all, the federal
government, to take care of the states
In the northwest, to do for these com,
munities what their own people have
refused or failed to do for themselves.
The people who think that the presi-
dent can build up the country are for
Mr.. Roosevelt; the people who think
that he can help them to grow rich are
E~~ L