The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-10-08
KNUTE NELSON TRUE TO FORM.

~~~-~~~
last Saturday when he gave vent to his
feelings against union men and union
labor.
The senator is in his dotage and
might be pardoned for his nineteenth
century views on industrial questions
were it not for the fact that he has al.
ways taken pronounced position
against union labor.
When he was governor he responded
to every call Of the interests in Mime.
sofa for state troops to break strikes.
He sent the militia 20 mill strike a:
Cloquet at the request Of Weyerhauser
when there was no more violence there
than there was in his home town Of
Alexandria. He sent the troops to
Tower to break another strike Of min
ers at the behest Of the Minnesota Iron
company before we knew anything
about steel trust.
Nelson left the governors office in
1895 and at no time from then until
Burnquist s administration in 1918 was
the state militia used in single strike
in Minnesota, although there were many
serious industrial disputes in the state
during that period Of % years. No gov
ernor Of Minnesota was ever so ready
to serve the enemies Of labor as was
Knute Nelson, with the possible excep-
ton Of Burnquist.
While he was governor Mr.. Nelson
was charged with double.crossing the
late ". d. Washburn, to whom he had
pledged his support for reelection to
the United States senate in 1895. Mel
son used his tremendous power and in
fIuence as governor to swing the legis-
lature in his favor. He defeated his
old friend Washburn. James J. Hill,
then president Of the Great Northern,
it is charged, backed Nelson for the
senate
During his political career covering
more than so years he has been at the
beck and call Of the interests whenever
he was needed. He is naturally Of a
rugged and independent character ana
chooses most often to be real CON-
moner, but at the proper time when his
voice and vote are needed "big inter-
ests' can always count on him.
His slap at union labor In the senate
at the time it was given was as un.
called for at it was unfair. He voiced
the wishes Of the anti.union National
Association of Manufacturers and Of
the railroad managers. He repeated
false charges against labor organize.
tons that have time and again been
made by labor's enemies and as often
refuted by union men.
At one moment he flayed labor and
at another he expressed pity for the
farmer, but all the time he stood for
the railroads against both the laborer
and the farmer. He wants railroad
wages to come down 50 that the farm.
ers may ship their goods to market
without having to pay exorbitant
freight rates. But he forgot to mention
that railroad wages did come down on
July l last and since then the roads
have refused TO reduce rates. If the
railroad workers Of the country would
oluntarily so back to the pre-wa1
wage scale, the roads would still hang
on to their present rates, and they
would continue to run to Congress fo1
subsidy as they have been doing under
one pretense and another ever since The
war.
Senator Nelson would have the build
Ing tradesmen return to the wages and
standards that prevailed before tn.
war, but he is as silent as a sphinx or
the cause of the present prices Of thing:
the worker must have. He did not a.
tack the profiteer. He said nothing
about the unnecessarily high cost Of
marketing. He blamed everything on
labor, all the high costs, the presen,
period Of unemployment and the dearth
IN building. Labor, according to hi, Oh
solete way Of thinking, is all wrong ami
the others are all right.
His opinion will not and can not b.
that of the average American. Not al
are as backward as he. Comfortably
reposed behind the good salary Of -,
senator it comes with poor grace from
him to ask skilled workers to give thei,
time and energy to the rehabilitatio,
Of industry for wage that might have
been high in other days, but which j,
low today. Good times will have (,
return in some other way than BY low
ering American standards.
Perhaps Senator Nelson is too old It
recognize this, he could not If he would
eut Others OF his habit VI thtaktap
r younger mel, must learn si,it tabor i
4 not soials back = little I'll sz .is -,