The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-11-02
Governors Chair BeckOns
To The Immigrants Son
Martin A. Nelson, Self Made Man Who
Hewed His Way To Political Leadership
Will Power and Hard Work Key
to the Rise of the Republican
Candidate for Governor
of Minnesota
NDick up that paper"
0NOio

- moi!
did you hear me? Pick up that
paper and don't throw any more on
the floor so long as you are in this
school,"
The six-year old, in his first week
at school, cast rebellious glances of
Indignation at his teacher as he passed
down the aisle, and then made a break
for freedom. He slid noiselessly
through the open door of the little
country school, and needless to say it
took some physical persuasion on the
part of both parents and teacher to
bring him back.
The stern young teacher was Ed
ward H. Haines, now a successful
banker in DEBORAH, Iowa, and the stub
born little boy who had not yet learned
the ways of school and of life was
Martin A. Nelson, now Republican
candidate for governor of Minnesota.
The obstinacy of childhood soon trans
formed itself into the logged deter
mination as a youth and answering
tenacity of purpose as a mature adult.
Only a strong character, of indomit-
able will power and self-mastery could
ever have overcome the obstacles
which this country lad vanquished, or
have and held so ruggedly to an OBJ
jective.
Eager for an Education
For despite his unfavorable intro
duction to the world of learning, the
boy Martin early discovered that what
he wanted more than anything else in
the world was an education, and he
knew that he was going to have to
work hard to get it. A boy whose
father migrates to America alone at
the age of fifteen without friends or
resources, and who later has six chill
dren to bring up under pioneer con-
ditions, cannot be expected to hand
each of them a university education on
a gold platter.
So Martin was under no illusions as
TO the hard years ahead of him. He
wasted no energies nor precious time
IN deciding what he was going to be
when he grew up. That was already
decided while he was still attending
the little country school where papers
quickly ceased to be amusing objects,
and became instead invaluable tools
for his work. He became an inveterate
reader, reading early and late, select
ing his reading matter with a purpose
and absorbing an amazing amount of
what he read. Possibly the picture ran
, through his mind of that other lad,
some sixty years before, who read by
firelight after a hard days work and
who held tenaciously to his desire to
enter the law. Anyhow, Martin early
decided to become a lawyer, and,
more than that, a successful one.
His Eye on His Goal
He planned his moves like a man
concentrating on a chessboard. Before
he was through his high school course
ct Mabel, Minnesota, he left to work
In the local drug store. To many boys
such step would have proved blind
alley and he might have passed the
rest of his days behind the counter.
But to Martin, leaving school was but
strategic retreat. He saw in phar-
macy means to living while saving
enough to continue his education. So
he studied nights at a school for
pharmacists, took the state board ex-
animation in pharmacy and followed
this calling for year and half at
Spring Valley. By that time, in 1913,
he had saved enough to make the next
step toward his real career.
st. Paul was Nelson's next move.
Here he made special arrangements
for completing his secondary work and
entered the st. Paul College of Law,
at the same time earning his way by