Arizona republican., 1903-01-15
PHOENIX. ARIZONA. JAN. Is, $780,
What Nelson Talked About.

For DAYS and days, Senator knute
Nelson of Minnesota gyrated and
GRATED to empty seats and empty gal
leries in the United States senate.
AGAINST the omnibus statehood bill.
For a long time we despaired of learn
ing what the distinguished senator was
talking about. for neither our special
correspondents nor the Associated
Press could enlighten us. The most
that could be ascertained was that
latter the expiration of the morning
hour Senator Nelson of Minnesota con-
timed his speech against the omnibus
bill"
Special correspondents did go so
far as to explain that nobody but the
presiding officer and the suffering Off
cial stenographers of the senate were
listening; that when the statesman
from Minnesota arose there was will
scramble among the occupants of the
galleries to get away, and a dignified
hegira of senators for the cloak rooms:
that the boys in the press gallery
scooted over to the house or to their
ofices-and it was logical that nobody
could tell US what the senator was say
ing. 1t hardly seemed possible that
anybody could talk. and talk, and talk
for week on a subject of which he
knew absolutely nothing. and we were
puzzled to imagine the burden of the
endless song. Never having been
within a thousand miles of either New
Mexico or Arizona and depending. for
his information upon the Beveridge
report, he great man from Minnesota,
it was reasonable to suppose, could ex-
haust his subject in about nine min
utes-even counting the time he had to
stand silent while his fellow senators
filed out of the chamber and the con-
fusion of scurrying people subsidized in
the galleries.
We take great pleasure in informing
our readers that after much difficulty
we have ascertained what it was that
occupied so much of the northwestern
statesman's time. The Washington
papers did not enlighten us, the press
associations neglected to follow his re-
marks, and special correspondents had
failed to listen, and the great speech
has not yet appeared in the Congress
sional Record, but the difficulty has
been overcome. Knute Nelson, senator
in congress by grace of the Norwe-
gians Danes and Swedes of the state
of Minnesota, poured out his soul in
agony for a solid week because of the
Large foreign element" in Arizona and
New Mexico! Knute Nelson is not as
we'll known as he should be in the
west, and some of our readers may fail
TO appreciate his position in all it's
richness. For their benefit we quote
from the sketch of Mr.. Nelson fur
nished to the Congressional Directory
by himself:
'Knute Nelson, republican, of Alex
andria, was born in Norway, Febru-
airy 2, 1S43."
how he has held one office after another
since he arrived in the United States.
By virtue of the Large foreign ele-
ment" in Wisconsin and Minnesota, OF
which his fellow Norwegians made up
a large part. and Notwithstanding his
own shrinking modesty and reticence,
the erudite Knute was successfully d
member of the Wisconsin assembly, in
1868, county attorney in Minnesota
from 1872 to 1874, state senator in 1876
1876. 1877 and 1885, was presidential
elector in 1880; was a member of the
board of regents OF the state university
from February l. 1882, to January J.
1893; was a member of the Forty-ninth
and Fiftieth congresses; was elected
governor of Minnesota in the fall of
1892, ana reelected in the fall of 1894;
was elected to the United States SEN
ate. January %, 1895
There are several Americans in Min
nesota, but the sketch from which we
quote omits to mention whether they
aided in maintaining Mr. Nelson IN
office since he landed from Norway.
Such true blue. broad and patriotic