The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-13
TOM JOHNSON'S DREAM
MILLIONAIRE WILL DEVOTE LIFE
AND WEALTH TO SINGLE TAX.
Former Indianapolis Railway Mag
nate Is Confirmed Apostle of
Henry Georges Philosophy.
New York Herald.

agitator. He is now worth millions and he
abandons his railroads and steel works to
devote his time to spreading abroad the
single-tax philosophy of Henry George. The
magnitude of his recent Brooklyn street.
railway transactions is still a matter of
public interest and wonderment. 1t was
historic event in railroad finance when the
Whtney-Flower syndicate closed the CO.
lossal deal with Tom Johnson for the sew
enteen street railroads of Brooklyn. The
following tells of Mr.. Johnson's views and
his plans for working out the theories origi-
mated and so ably expounded by Henry
George, the lifelong friend of Johnson:
This single-tax financier recently had
thirty thousand men on his pay rolls. He
was born July IS. 1854, in Scott county, Ken
lucky. His ancestors were the illustrious
family Of Johnsons of Madison county, Vir-
ginia. Robert Johnson, a noted pioneer in
his day, was among the earliest settlers in
Kentucky. Richard M. Johnson, his grand
father, was a distinguished soldier under
General William Henry Harrison. Three
sons were also eminent soldiers, and young
Toms father was a colonel and a man or
strong personality and character.
When only lad Tom Johnson was living
with his parents in Louisville where he re-
cieved a common school education. At the
age of fifteen he was errand boy, clerk and
later assistant in all work in the office OF
| the Louisville Street-raiWay Company.
| There he learned the details of the business.
| 1t was the beginning of the art of amass-
| ing q fortune out of the despised nickel
| The boy learned everything about horse rail-
| reading, track laying, railroad politics, Sc
| curing rights of way and getting the good
| will Of hostile aldermen and would-be re-
| formers Before he was twenty-one john
| son had all the intricacies of country rapid
| transit at his fingers ends. He continually
| heard Of the great need OF certain devices
/ fp. ffafnn IN ~ThfV O WUFng n
| healthy, vigorous chap, with a bucketful Of
| brains in his big head, which he stirred up
| to advantage.
HIS FIRST INVENTION.
One morning he awoke and found himself
a success. His inventions were pronounced
wonderful. He invented a new nickel-in-
the-slot box for street cars running in sub
urban towns without a conductor, where
| passengers are few and dividends invisible.
| Next he invented an automatic switch, then
the patent high heel rail now used on all
great lines The Johnson boys were poor
and the family had a hard time keeping the
Western wolf from their little home. But
| Tom Johnsons inventions soon began drop
| ping from the ceiling into the family box.
When only twenty-five young Johnson mad
| received enough from his inventions TO en-
able him with the little money he was able
| to control outside his fund to buy street
railway in Indianapolis. All the street
| railways in those Western towns are more
or less One-horse affairs. In some places a
single mule pulled a car through the town.
| JohnsOns management was magical. The
| line was soon put on a business basis I'M
proved cars appeared; People We're Wtc not no1
! money poured in until Johnson was able TO
| buy broken-down street-car property In
Cleveland ..
| 1t was a one-horse affair, while the main
| system in that city was in the control OF
| Hanna The boy financier from the West
| was looked on as too insignificant to Wor-
ry about. but he soon built up COMPETE
| ton that put Hanna on his mettle, and
presently there was fierce railroad hght.
| Hanna found his match, for Johnson soon
| controlled the town. His plan was to buy
one road after another, then consolidate and
| blossom out with a system.
After he had made a fortune he performed
the coup of his life. He consolidated the
| affections and good will Of pretty sensible
| Kentucky girl, made himself president, vice
| president and chairman, giving her full
| power as general manager, of the matri-
| monial combination, she controlling all the
proxies of his heart. Strange to say that
| although married and rich, Tom johnson
| found himself a happy man. lie mad par
| alleled Hannas monopoly lines ana brought
the rich men of the city TO ms Ieet. re
was soon acknowledged king of the street.
| railway business. The young man was IN
| the pink of health and, physically speaking.
comes Of perfect digestion He took his
| brother AL into business and placed him III
charge of the Cleveland lines The running
| oSNSA
| rail which Tom Johnson had invented.
ANOTHER FINE IDEA.
| 1T was with great difficulty that he could
| induce the conservative big rolling mill con-
Germs to turn out rails after his pattern.
| But they proved such a success that soon
the companies Were only too glad to make
| the rails Meanwhile however, it had oc-
Cured to Johnson that the high price which
| he was forced to pay for those special rails
| of his own invention suggested basis for
| another fortune.
| pany to manufacture his patent rails and
| automatic switches for the rest or the
world. On another morning the caPitahstss
| awoke to find the well-estab lished firm OF
| the Johnson steel works at Lora1n, o., ano
at Johnstown, Pa. Everything that John
son touched turned to thousand-dollar bills
They 1uttered into his vaults like leaves
Unlike other manufacturers and capital
! lists Johnson became an anu-prOtecuOnSL
| His rivals in the iron business were as
| founded. They could not understand why
he opposed tariff calculated TO enhance
his profits. His answer was to announct nc,
that he was not only tariff reformer but
| an out and out free trader.
! He had read Progress and Poverty, mel
| Henry George it's author, and. like ole
| Bunyan, had seen a great light. so ne De
| came single taxer lie would have beer
considered crazy but for his extraordinary
| success in business. He was courageou;
and apparently afraid of nothing living OF
| dead.
In Cleveland he boldly ran for Congress or
! the single-tax ticket, just to break the ice
! for the new movement. He was defeated
but by so small a majority that the old poll.
| ticians doubled their doses of whisky anc
| qunine and wondered if human nature haC
| reversed its record. In the campaign OF
1890 he tried it again and was sent to Con
! gress by 3.400 majority. That the Western
| Reserve wise men were paralyzed did moi
express the situation of that day.
Ohio was then redistricted, and 1t was
! thought that it would be the means Of beat
! ing johnson by at least 1000 majority il
| the next campaign. He was full of dyna-
| mite and ginger and went into the struggle
| with his coat off. 1t was a memorable
| campaign The political air seemed full OF
| labeled with the Johnson brand. Agar
/ the political railrOader won. He was sent
| to Congress with a majority of 5000
| Johnson's career in the House of Repre-
sentatives is matter of history. IT has
! been told how he worked for the single tax
cause in and out of the House; how he
made great speech on the tariff; and, with
| the assistance of a few friends read chap
! ters from Henry Georges Protection or
! Free Trade" Incorporating it into their
| speeches, having it sent out through the
! country as a part of the proceedings of Con-
HIS TRICK IN CONGRESS.
1t is estimated that in this way at least
a million copies of Protection or Free
! Trade" and Tom Johnson's free-trade sin
! gle-tax speeches were circulated between
Maine and California.
Tom Johnson is declared to be one of the
few men who are sincere and serious, still
always self-eontained and smiling. He does
the work of ten men, yet seems never busy.
He appears everywhere except in barrooms,