HE IS THE IDEAL AMERICAN CITI
ZEN AND STATESMAN.
A MAN OF THE PEOPLE
His Record of Achievement a Guaran
tee to the Nation—Compared Fa
vorably with Lincoln—a
Self-Made Man.
John H. Tolan, a lawyer of Anacon
da, Mont., a lifelong acquaintance and
friend of Gov. John A. Johnson of Min
nesota, writes in regard to the latter's
candidacy:
“You are taking the proper
steps—a campaign of education is
what is needed to secure his nom
ination. Once let the American
people get close to this man, learn
his early history and struggles, as
I know them; feel his friendship,
as I have felt it; see his intense
love and kindness for his fellow
men, as I have seen it, and no 1
power on earth can deter them
from placing him at the head of
our federal government"
Mr. Tolan has summed up briefly
one side of the great governor of Min
nesota. He is a most lovable man—a
man who makes friends of all whom
he meets. In this respect, as In some
others, he his been compared to the
great IJncoln.
Gov. .Ichnson is a man of the people.
Not even IJncoln came up from great
er obscurity and greater poverty than
the virile governor of Minnesota. He
understands the people as perhaps no
man in Xmerican public life since Lin
coln lias i! ■ dei stood them—and the
people understand him.
As a It oocrat. Gov. Johnson ap
peals to the thoughtful members of
his party, because he is preeminently
qualified to unite and blend its discord
ant elements into a competent, enthu
siastic. well-organized militant political
force.
Gov. Johnson appeals to the people
regardless of party, because he has
a record of achievement behind him
that gu:i T.ntees that if he is rhosen
to the g eat office of president he
would fill it in a manner wholly satis
factory to a vast majority of the plain
people of Vmerlca.
Peer Swedish Immigrants.
Gov. Johnson's mother and father
were poor immigrants from Sweden—
the former arriving in St. Peter, Minn.,
in 1852. and the father a year later.
They were married in 1858. The father
was a b'acksmith in Sweden, and took
up his trad > in his new home, conduct
ing at first a small blacksmith shop
in the country near St. Peter. Later
the family moved into the village, and
it was here, July 21, 1861, that the son
John was born. The father was cursed
with the drink habit and. in conse
quence. after a few years of prosperi
ty. the family was reduced to desper
ate straits. So dire was their poverty
that th< mother had to take in wash
ing for g living, and the son, John,
acted as her delivery boy. When in
his twelfth year, the destitution of the
little family, consisting of the mother
and father and three children, had
reached such a point that John begged
his mother for permission to quit
school In order to help her. She re
luctantly consented, fearing that her
son would never be able to return to
school. This fear was fully justified,
for after that time the future governor
of Minnesota knew the four walls of
the schoolroom no more.
The boy wont to work in a general
store in the village at $10 a month,
and every cent of this generous salary
was turned into the family treasury.
His spare moments from the store
were still devoted to delivering laun
dry for his mother, and the earnings
of mother and son were sufficient to |
keep the little establishment going. As !
time went on their condition improved
with John's increasing salary. Two I
years after going to work he was re- j
ceiving $12 a month; soon lie wa? get
ting more. From this time on the
mother was not compelled to work for
the family maintenance. The son |
provided the entire income, and the
mother returned to her proper work
of housekeeping and caring for the !
family. From the general store. John !
went into a drug store, where lie j
stayed for about twelve years and be- i
came a licensed pharmacist. Later he !
was employed by a railway contractor j
in Minnesota and Iowa, and at that
time, in his early liO's, his income av
eraged about $75 a month. All this
time, whether at home or away, he re
garded himself as the head and main
stay of the family, and provided funds
in addition for educating the brother
and sister who survived early child
hood.
Not Embittered by Poverty.
Although John had thus to leave
school so early In life, he did not cease
to educate himself. He became a
great student and soon read every
book in the village library. It is note
worthy that the first three books he
read after leaving school were Pres
cott's two histories of the conquest of
Peru and Mexico and Scott's Ivan
hoe. While thus extending his knowl
edge and intellectual horizon, he at. all
times grew in the other fields of life.
Hard as his struggle had been, he did
not become embittered by it, but took
as large a part as possible in the vil
lage social life. He seldom missed a
dance He attended church and be
longed to the choir He joined the
various fraternal lodges, after the
habit of men in small villages. He
was known to everybody in the village,
and everybody was Ills friend. He
was interested in life, not only his own
life, but the life led by all his friends
and neighbors.
The turning point in Gov. Johnson’s
career—the point from which he began
to he a public man—-came with the op
portunity to become editor of the vil
lage paper—the St. Peter Herald. That
the opportunity was given to him, a
man who Had been without any news
paper training or preparation was
proof that earl}' in life he began to
impress those who knew him as a
man provided with a natural equip
ment which qualified him to undertake
almost any responsibility. The owners
of the paper picked him out as the j
man they wanted for editor. He im
mediately arose to the opportunity. He
developed great aptitude for the new
work, and with it took on a larger ser
vice in the community.
Sitting around the Dig stove m tne
drug store during the long winter eve
nings. he had imbibed Democratic doc
trines from the local politicians who
had congregated there, and, as tim
wont on. he became iixed in his belief
in Democratic political tenets and a
loyal adherent of the party. Johnson
had a natural gift for speaking, and as
he had now become a man of note in
his little home community, he had
many opportunities to exercise this
gift, and soon came to be recognized
as a fluent, easy, adaptable speaker, al
ways certain to say the right thfng at
the right time, and always sure to say
something worth hearing. Between
his speaking ability, his ability as an
editor, and his remarkable mixing
qualities, he was scarcely 30 years old
when he was recognized as the lead
ing Democratic editor of Minnesota.
First Political Contest.
The governor’s first political contest
came in 1894. when he was nominated
for the state senate, hut although he
made a gallant fight he uvas not able
to overcome the Republican majority.
In 1898, nominated to the state senate
again, he made a lively campaign on
state issues, and this time victory was
with him. lie served through two ses
sions of the legislature, and his legis
lative career was chiefly notable for
the leadership of his party in the suc
cessful contest for a gross earnings
tax on the Minnesota railways. At the
end of his legislative term, the Demo
cratic leaders of the state wanted to
nominate him for governor, hut John
son considered the situation hopeless
and declined the honor. Instead, he
took the nomination for state senate
again. But this time he was defeated
by a small majority. -In 1904 he was
persuaded, however, to accept the
Democratic nomination, and, after be
ing nominated by acclamation, he
plunged into a whirlwind campaign.
He made 103 speeches in 74 out of
the 84 counties of the state, and these
speeches were remarkable for the tact
that they were positive rather than
negative. He did not attack his op
ponent or indulge In personalities, hut
spoke always of state affairs and need
ed reforms. This was in a presiden
tial year, when Roosevelt enthusiasm
was at its height in every Republican
state. Rut when the votes were count
ed in November it was round that the
people of the state at large had learned
to love, honor, admire and respect
John A. Johnson, as had the people of
his native*v ill age. Although President
Roosevelt carried the s*ate by the
hitherto unknown plurality of 161,000,
Johnson was elected by about 8.000.
After an administration of two years,
which made good every pre-election
promise. Gov. Johnson came once
again before the people of Minnesota
with the slogan. "One good term de
serves another," making lid speeches
in 42 days. This time, without any
presidential canvass to distract them
from state Issues and personalities,
the governor was re-elected by a plu
rality of 77,000. being the largest plu
rality aver given to a gubernatorial
candidate in Minnesota. And it is by
virtue of that handsome public verdict
of approval that Gov. Johnson to-day
sits in his office in the magnificent
marble capitol at St. Paul—perhaps
the finest specimen of state architec
ture in America, outside of Washing
ton—looked up to with genuine love,
respect and confidence by the 2,000,000
people of Minnesota.
A Great Record.
In the four years that he has been
governor, John A. Johnson has accom
plished great things in Minnesota. He
and his tax-reforming appointees have
increased the assessed valuation of
the United States Steel corporation
from $32,000,000 to $190,000,000. and in
lieu of further increase of taxation, the
steel corporation is now building a
$20,000,000 plant in Duluth.
Owing to his energy railway rates
have been reduced, partly voluntarily,
and partly by warehouse commission
regulation and legislative enactment,
from 10 to 30 per cent The two-cent
railway passenger rate was secured in
Minnesota. Largely due to his initia
tive. the system of taxation was re
formed, and an expert .commission of
three able men appointed to deal with
the taxation problem: laws were
passed providing for the equitable tax
ation of sleeping car companies; t
modern law of mortgage taxation was
also enacted: reciprocal demurrage
laws were adopted; orders of the rail
road and warehouse commission were
made immediately effective In the in
terests of labor a free state employ
ment bureau was created and is con
ducted with the best results. A great
system for the drainage of state
swamp lands was inaugurated. A law
was passed providing for municipal
ownership of public utilities. The
state of Minnesota has long conducted
a twine factory with prison labor, the
object being to supply the farmers of
the state with a binding twine for har
vesting their crops at a reasonable
•life and protect them from the ex
essive charges of the cordage trust,
ete with this factory, the trust
essritf • d a twine plant within the
taft . Gov. Johnson's answer was a
.-equ-' O *o tt-e b>:ris!ature for authority
to sell the product of the stete twine
plant outside as well as within the
state. At Gov. Johnson's suggestion
railway passes were abolished in Min
nesota.
The governor’s part in the insurance
reforms of recent years i3 too well
known to require attention here, be
yond allusion to the fact that Presi
dent Roosevelt publicly recognized
him as the leader in the nation-wide
campaign for reformation of the great
insurance companies.
Gov. Johnson is a man of strict ad
herence to political principle, but he
does not believe in confusing every
passing fancy or fad with political
principle. He believes that tfiere are
a few basic political ideas which char
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The Home Paper
Gives you the reading matter in
which you have the greatest in
terest—the home news. Its every
- ~ ---- home news, us eve./
issue will prove a welcome visitor to every member of the family. f
should head your list of newspaper and periodical subscriptions.
acterize Democracy. He ;s not a ma».
who was a Republican yesterday, a
Democrat to-day and an Independent
to-morrow. Throughout his career he
has been a Democrat.
Although there can be no question
that Gov. Joi n on is a -believer in
sweeping tariff reforms, and a believer
in the necessity for vigorous legisla
tion to meet certain mod rn industrial
conditions, he has such an abundance
of common s. use, so much intellectual
balance, and is so tactful in his mem
ods that in* achieves his ends without
that excessive friction and violent dis
turbance that has been characteristic
of some of our recent rerot'mers. Gov.
Johnson is a big man. lie is not wed
ded to a particular political fad. He is
in statesmanship something of an op
portunist. Although guided by some
big principles, he prefers to decide
questions as they come up on their
individual presentation.
As a Democratic candidate he is
strong, because between his genuine
devotion to reform and hu careful and
effective methods of getting reforms,
he should have no difficulty in uniting
in his support both the conservative
and radical elements in his party. This
should insure him the normal Demo
cratic strength, carrying with it, of
course, the solid south ami such states
as New York and New Jersey. In ad
dition, Gov Johnson will draw an im
mense Republican vote from Scandi
navian-Ameriean citizens, as well as
other ejass s, in such states as Illi
nois. Wisconsin. Minnesota, North and
South Dakota, Montana. Nebraska and
Washington. There is no question
tnat he could carry Minnesota and the
two Dakotas. Wisconsin and Illinois.
Parable of the Foolish Citizen.
Once there was a good man who
I labored hard on the farm, and on
| each Sunday went religiously to
church. In time he gained sufficient
i wealth to move into a near-by town,
: where all his children were afforded a
chance for acquiring an education.
For all his supplies he sent to a dis
tant city. He opposed every proposl- :
tion to pave the streets of the place,
to Improve the very schools his chil
dren attended, and when the assessor
visited him he was verily a pauper
for taxation purposes. This man was
i a highly moral man, a pillar in the
church, and even worked a soap-club
deal in order to secure for the Sun
day school an organ. At last he died.
It is recorded that he entered the
pearly gates for which he long hoped
and prayed. The streets were golden,
and there was beauty on every side.
He marveled; became enraptured
with all he saw. To some angels
standing by he spoke: "This place
must have cost a pile of money?”
“Yes,” replied one of the white-winged
attendants, “but it has been paid for
below. Each one criming here must
help bear the burden of taxes—” Just
then a saintly-looking man approached
with a book, and the new arrival from
the farm took one look at him, and
believing him to be the assessor, bolt
ed out through the gate—and then
woke up.
The Superiors.
Some people in this world think
they are so superior they must ex
pect to be awful lonesome in heaven.
Among the Atoms.
A little money is a dangerous thing.
THE REV. IRl R. HICKS
Almanac and Magazine
Should be in
every home in
the land. His
weather predic
tions can behad
only in his own
publica ti on s.
No other publisher is permitted to
printthemin any form, either with or
without credit. His 1908 Almanac ex
cels all former editions in beauty and
value, and sells for35cents, postpaid.
His monthly magazine, Word ano
Works, contains his weather fore
casts for each month, together with a
vast amount of the best family reading
and costs $1. a year, one almanac with
each subscription. Every earthquake
and serious storm for 20 years haa
been predicted by Prof. Hicks. You
cannot afford to be without these pub
lications.* Address all orders to
THE JOURNAL
Newark, : : Arkansas
mb—na—sbseke 11 z — m i—
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That is what this pacer gives you
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that purpose. It represents your
interests and the interests of this
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it to yourself to see that it is put
there. To do so
Will Be To
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