The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-05
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK
From Alderman Peter Nelson.
the Editor of the Journal.


The circular Of the Voters League is
SO manifestly unfair in its attack upon me
that in justice to myself and my friends
feel it my duty to enter a protest. The
league attempts in it's circular to hold
me up as a criminal, and in order to leave
this impression they have stated only half
the truth. 1t is an easy matter to bring
criminal charge against any person; but
if he be innocent it Is not so easy to Sc
cure a conviction.
Thru manifestly unfair tactics on the
part of James A. Peterson, who was then
county attorney, in 1898, I was charged
with perjury because it was claimed that
my testimony before the grand jury in
1896 did not tally in every particular with
my testimony before the petit jury in the
Durham trial. know that I was honest
in my effort to testify to the truth. After
I had been bombarded by questions from
the lawyers on both sides of the case Mr..
Peterson endeavored to make out that my
testimony was not the same on both oc
casions and had me up on trial on q
charge Of perjury. After the case got into
the supreme court it did not take that
court very long to say that had been I'M
Justly dealt with and when the case came
back + insisted on having it retired, but
as the grand jury refused to indict me
was given no opportunity. However, the
grand jury voted that there was no rea-
son to believe that I was guilty of any
offense, and that ought to satisfy any
reasonably minded man. ...-a. -
The second occurrence referred to by
the Voters League Is where three aid
ermen were indicted on charge of accept
ing a bride. was one of the three. Know
ing that I was entirely innocent of the
charge instructed my attorney to force
the case to trial as soon as possible, but
the prosecution moved for a continuance.
| The second time the case was reached
| for trial we were in court urging trial
! of the case so that I might have an
opportunity to prove my innocence, but
again the case was continued on motion
! of the prosecution. The third time when
the case was called I insisted on having
| the case tried, but the county attorney
| dismissed it with statement that he was
unable to prove the charge. He stated
| in open court that there was no ground to
| believe that I was guilty of the charge.
These are the actual facts, which can be
substantiated by the attorneys on both
sides in the cases against me and by the
i judges of our district court. If the
/ Voters League had stated these facts
] there would have been no need Of an an
/ SWer. az
My record in the council, covering eight
i years of service, is an open book. The
i Voters League have made reference only
! to few of my acts. I have no apology
to offer. I have always labored to rep.
resent my constituents honestly and fair
4 ", according to my best Judgment, and
/ believe that an examination of my whole
/ record will satisfy any fair-minded mai
that have been reasonably successful II
1 doing my duty.
i trust that the voters In the sixth, sew.
1 enth, eleventh and twelfth wards, which
compose the second commissioner district
4 will not be misled by the manifestly un
fair attack made by the Voters League
1 Yours truly Peter Nelson,
4 1923 Fifteenth avenue s.
Il Dated Minneapolis, Mimi. Nov. S, 1904.