The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-09-14
KNUTE NELSON IS 49,. ..
H.. SYSTEM SENATOR
Continued from PaCo 1.

'*@> Continued from PaCo L.
mined by his position in the Aldrich
machine.
Nelson Advanced by Regulars.
Senator Knute Nelson has long been
a. conspicuous figure On the commit
tees on judiciary, public lands, rail-
roads, and, besides is at present chair
man of the committee on commerce.
OF especial significance was his APP
pointment as chairman of the import
ant committee to investigate (sic!)
the Ballinger-Alaska scandal.
The Old Guard, when Aldrich was
supreme, sometimes made mistakes;
! almo st never in the case of the 'big''
committees. Did they err in advanc-
ing Nelson?
Senator Nelson has long been in
public office. After the Civil war, in
which he served with distinction, ne
held a term as assemblyman in Wis
consin. Later, in Minnesota, he be-
came successfully county attorney,
state senator, congressman, governor,
and in 1895, was elected to the United
states senate. After six years in the
senate, during time when the prop
erty power in politics was approach
ing its zenith, he was returned to The
senate without the opposition of the
railroads and trusts; indeed, with
their consent and congratulations.
The Measure of His Fitness.
Again Nelson is standing for re-
election. This time the voters will
have a voice. In the primary, they
will choose between Nelson and his
Progressive Republican opponent,
James A. Peterson.
What is Nelson's record? There is
space here to present only a few
of the illuminating chapters in his
senatorial career. Before 1906 the
senate went its way of system service,
serenely and "senatorial-courteou
oblivious to the public awakening. In
those good old days. Of Hanna, ct al,
regularity was the rule among Repub-
licans; party considerations were par
amount. And Nelson was a. loyal
party man." From 1906 to the pres
emit have occurred the big battles
in the senate between special inter-
ests and public interest, between
plutocracy and democracy. There
were battles over ship subsidies, over
railroad and canal regulation, over
wall street and currency schemes,
over tariff revision, over conservation,
over the control Of the senate itself.
Nelson's record on these questions
serves as a true measure Of his fit
ness to represent the people Of Min
nesota-and the rest of the nation.
Nelson Aids the Steel Trust.
Nelson zealously served the Steel
in
Lake Erie and Ohio River Canal bill
was before the senate. For years
Dalzell of Pittsburgh, Cannon leader,
had been trying to get through a. bill
for the steel trust to incorporate this
canal company with a federal charter
to construct and operate a water out
let from the great mills and foundrfes
! of the steel company at Pittsburgh to
the great lakes. This bill gave the
company sweeping powers. Govern
| ment regulation Of tolls was technical
ly provided, but no basis Of valuation
was made to- give effective regulation:
Capitalization was authorized at $780,
900 per mile, or a total OF about
$1SO,000,00O.
Senator La Toilette introduced sew
| eral amendments to protect the public,
knowing the dexterity Of the steel
trust and the Morgan interests in
pumping water into capitalization, he
asked that the public be protected at
the outset of the big enterprise from
having another burden of fictitious
capitalization forced upon it.
He cited several striking illustra-
tions of false capitalization in the past
to emphasize the duty of congress
to protect the public from a similar
outrage in the case Of the proposed
canal. He pointed out that the st.
Paul and Manitoba Railroad company
the Great Northern, lessor, was
bought on foreclosure at $3,6OO,OO0.
It's capitalization was forced up to
$S4,000,O00; to be exact, $4,000, 900.
The state Of Minnesota through it's
courts made an appraisal in the Great
Northern rate case, and held that the
cost. of the reproduction Of all the
property of the company at that time
would not exceed $44,0OO,O00 show
ing nearly SO per cent of water.
And he added, u. J. Hill testified
! in an investigation in the Northern
Securities merger case that in the
purchase of $1OS,00O,O0O Of securities
| of the Burlington by the Great North
ern and the Northern Pacific COM
panies, $216,000,000 Of new per
| cent bonds were issued. In the recap
italization of the Rock Island $75,OOO,-
600 Of Rock Island stock was con-
verted into s475,O00,0O0 of bonds and
$l37, 100000 Of new stock"
The La Toilette amendments all
were killed. It was Senator Nelson
| who acted as lord high executioner.
Before putting in readiness the AID
! rich guillotine-where so many meas
ures in the public interest have met
speedy end--he gave voice to an
| angry protest. He was Indignant at
such an attempt to hamper and dis
tress the company (the. Steel trust)
and prevent them from carrying on
| their operations"
One by one, these amendments
came up. Each time it, was Nelson
who rose in his place and said, Il
m-ve to lay the amendment upon tne