The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-27
RICH TOM L. JOHNSON
THE POOR MANS FRIEND FOR Po-
LITICAL PURPOSES ONLY.
A King of Monopolists - There Are
Roll, and More Are to BE Added.

The name of Thomas Loftin Johnson Is
almost wholly unknown 20 the mass or
American people, but when speak of
Congressman Tom Johnson. the name
has familiar sound from Maine to Cali
fornia, and from the Straits of Mackinaw
to the New Orleans delta.
The free-trade single tax Congressman
who represents the Twenty-first Ohio, or
Cleveland. district, in the national leg
lature is at once a moncpolist and an
anti-monopolist. He is veritable political
Jekyl and Hyde for while he poses the
friend of the workingman and champion
OF Coxeyism, he is himself millionaire,
and is at the head OF the great street-rail-
way trust.
Contrary to custom, his name is printed
in the congressional directory plain
Tom Johnson His baptismal name.
however. is Thomas Loftin Johnson. He
was born July 1S 1854. in Scott county,
Kentucky, and in a few weeks will be
forty years of age.
The Johnson family has long been an
illustrious Robert Johnson, OF Madi-
son county, Virginia, was famous pioneer
In Kentucky, and his son. Richard NJ
Johnson. was in turn a famous soldier
under General William Henry Harrison, a
Congressman and Senator from Kentucky,
and Vice President with President Van
Buren,. Three of the sons were eminent
as soldiers. and one of them, Colonel
James Johnson. at one time Congressman
from Kentucky, was grandfather OF
Tom" The latters father served in the
confederate army during the civil war.
and returned to Kentucky badly broken in
fortune.
to Evansville, Ind, where as boy he was
educated in the common schools of the city.
1t Is to his credit that he is a self-made
man. At the age of fifteen he secured en-
ployment in the office of a street-railway
company in Evansville and learned the in
tricacies and details of street railway man.
| agement and was subsequently promoted
| with astonishing rapidly.
A MECHANICAL GENIUS
AS a mere boy Tom Johnson was a me-
chanical genius, and having invented vari-
| Gus devices. including a fare box, which
brought him some money, he joined in buy
| ing dilaDidated street railroad In Indian
| apolis and became its manager, his father
! being president. He was then but twenty
| two years old, and in twelve years there
| after he had acquired a fortune of at least
| half a million He removed to Cleveland
1 OOe-HOrSe
line on the outskirts of the city, which he
| secured for mere song. Then he bought
another road consolidated the two and in
| a year was the owner of trunk line Of
street cars in the Ohio city. Then he mar
ried pretty Kentucky girl also named
| Johnson. built himself a comfortable home
and settled down." His street car business
| grew so rapidly that he secured the serv-
Ices of his brother AL" who was made
manager Of the Cleveland lines, and a few
years ago the two brothers succeeded In
consolidating all the street car and cable
lines In Cleveland into a trust under the
Johnson management
His next move in the direction of econ
omy was the establishment of a steel rail
mill at Johnstown. Pa, and he improved
the process of manufacturing steel so ma
terially that the johnson girder raiP' Us
now In use on at least half the street rail-
ro"ds in the country. Strangest of all.
while manufacturing highly protected rails
he became free-trader.
He wants 1t distinctly understood that he
Is not tariff reformer" revenue tariff
man" or anything of that sort He is a
straight-out free-trader and single-taxer.
AS such he ran for Congress in 1888. and
was defeated by so small majority that
old politicians were amazed. In 1890 he
was elected by 3,4Oo majority, and early in
the Fifty-second Congress became known
as Representative at large of the single
tax free-traders throughout the United
States" Ohio was redistricted and his dis
trict was thought good for 1000 majority
against him. but he went into the cam
paign of 1892 on his own platform and won
by the amazing majority of $500.
| man who does a thing like that is never
obscure at Washington and tom" L.
i Johnson Is now star. His speech before
the New York Reform Club stamped him
as the most radical in economic views OF
all the men now prominent in political life
Congressman Johnson surprised his free
trade Democratic friends and his fellow
Congressman when he recently championed
the cause of j. S. Coxey, and introduced a
bill in Congress asking for an investigation
Of the arrest of Coxey and Browne, of the
army of the commonweal Since ther
Tom" Johnson has been relegated to the
ranks of the PopuIists in Congress. and is
said to have lost caste among his Demo
cratic brethren. But ii is a fact that the
political and economic views of the Ohio
free-trader are Identical with those of PEI.
fer. Lafe Pence, Senator Allen and othe,
Western Populists, and Mr.. Johnson could
subscribe to the Peoples party platform
without so much as winkng his eve
PERSONAL APPEARANCE.
In personal appearance Mr.. Johnson bears
somewhat striking likeness 10 that Other
and still more famous Ohio man. Goyerno,
William Mckinley. Mr. Johnson weighs
more than the little Napoleon" and is
slightly taller. but otherwise he is a very
fair double for Mckinley He dresses
like an ordinary business man, wears lii.
tie, II any, jewelry. and is considered dem
ocratic in his manner and habits He /.
not an idler. for if he were not a bus,
man he could never have accomplished
what he has in the few years of his publ,
career. He works early and late at hi.
rooms in Washington. and when he is IL
New York one will never find him in tn,
corridors or barroom of the St. James Ho
tel. where he makes his home.
Mr.. Johnson's home in the beautiful For
est City is ideal. He has charming wife
is liberal entertainer and is popular il
I Cleveland, both In society circles an,
; among business men. He is not an aristo
crat. even though he is monopolist. an,
this fact may account for his popuIarit,
! among the voters in northern Ohio. VIII
elect him to Congress on Democratic
E ticket in strong Republican district
: During the last winter Mr.. Johnson. wit