Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-09-11

whether they wish to continue Hon.
Knute Nelson for United States Sen
ator, or whether they desire his
place to be taken by Hon. James R..
Peterson, a progressive. Senator
Nelson feels absolutely safe, and is
making no campaign. He has re-
peatedly been challenged to defend
his record, but absolutely ignores his
critics. He depends upon the natur-
al conservation Of the people to re-
turn him without question.
Here is a part of what Senator
LaF gillette, who has served in the
Senate with Nelson, has to say Of
his record. If you claim to be a pro-
gressive, read the following. Then
if you still vote for Nelson, you will
know that you belong with the stand
patters. The following is a quota
!! ton from LaFollette's Weekly:
NELSON ADVANCED BY REG
ULARS.
"Senator Knute Nelson has long
been a conspicuous figure on the
committees on Judiciary, Public
Lands, Railroads, and, besides is at
present chairman Of the Committee
on Commerce. Of special signif-
canoe was his appointment as chair
man of the important committee to
investigate (sicD the Ballinger-
Alaska scandal.
"The Old Guard, when Aldrich
was supreme, sometimes made mis-
takes; almost never in the case Of
the ''big" committees. Did they err
in advancing Nelson?
"Senator Nelson has long been
in public Office. After the Civil War
in which he served with distinction,
he held a term as assemblyman in
Wisconsin. Later, in Minnesota, he
became successfully county attor-
ney, state senator, Congressman,
Governor, and in 1895, was elected
to the United States Senate. After
six years in the Senate, during a
time when the Property Power in
Politics was approaching it's zenith,
he was returned to the Senate with
out the opposition of the railroads
and trusts; indeed, with their con-
sent 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 R. 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 SER
vice, serenely and Senatorial cour-
teously' oblivious to the public awak-
ening. In those good old days of
Hanna, ct al, regularity was the rule
among Republicans; party consid-
erations were paramount. And Mel
son was loyal 'party-man.' From
1906 to the present have occurred
the big battles in the Senate between
special interests and public inter-
est, between plutocracy and demo-
cracy.. There were battles over ship
subsidies, over railroad and canal
regulation, over Wall Street curren-
cy 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 fitness to represent
the people of Minnesota-and the
rest Of the nation.
NELSON AIDS THE STEEL
| TRUST.
"Nelson zealously served the Steel
Trust in the 59th Congress when the
Lake Erie and Ohio River Canal Bill
was before the Senate. For years
Dalzell Of Pittsburgh, Cannon lead.
er, had been trying to get through q
bill for the Steel Trust to incorpor-
ate this cana company with feder.
al charter to construct and operate
a water outlet from the great mills
and foundries Of the steel company
at Pittsburgh to the Great Lakes
This bill gave the company sweeping
powers Government regulation oil
tolls was technically provided, but
q no basis Of valuation was made tt
give effective regulation. Capital.
cation was authorized at $500, OO(
: per mile, cf total of about $780,.
100000.
"Senato1 LaFollette introduced
several a nendments to protect tn
5, public. 4 moving the dexterity o:
r the Steel Trust and the Morgan in
}, terests in pumping water into CAPT
talization, he asked that the public
be protected at the outset Of the BIZ
! enterprise from having another bur
. den of fictitious capitalization force
upon it.
"He cit&d several striking illus