The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-09-27
DIR. JOHNSON QUITS
THE FAMOUS KANDIYoHI POPULIsT
GETS ENOUGH OF FUSION,
LIND AND ROSING.
REDEEMs HIS 1896 PLEDGE
says Mckinley Prosperity Suits Him
and Democratic Hypocrisy
Dis&usts Him.

who was one of the brainiest and most
enthusiastic supporters of Bryan In the
Seventh district four years ago. has
seen the error Of his ways and returned
to his first love. the Republican party.
He had about six years experience a.
a Populist. and while he considers
these years wasted. in a political sense.
he values the experience as an eye
opener. He learned to his satisfaction
that Organism In a hollow delusion:
that Lind is a designing politician. who
obtained his election by false pre-
fences; that Rosing turns the machine
which Srinds Democrats and Populists
into Democratic sausage. and that
Ringdahl and Bowler are 80 per cent
Democrats but wear the garb of Popu-
lism in order to round up the Populist
herd and drive them into Rosings fold.
DR.. johnson has practiced medicine
in Kandiyohi and adjoining counties
some sixteen years, and thus has an
extensive acquaintance with people and
conditions in that vicinity. In 1894 the
silver idea. as advocated by Bryan.
was waited through the air in the form
Of disease germs, and many Of them
found Judgement in Kandiyohf county.
DR.. johnson and a few others thought
they saw relief from the panicky con-
ditions OF that time in the measures
championed by Bryan, and they found
ed the Peoples party of Kandiyohi.
The doctor is an aggressive, courage
Gus, fiery fellow, and his first step was
to start Populist paper. the Tribune.
All who read that paper during his
supervision will never forget the sui
try illusions of it's intrepid author.
The doctor-editor was nominated for
the legislature and he advocated the
election of Bryan, Lind and himself
in a way that was both original and
effective he being defeated by only
twenty-nine votes by Henry Feig. He
accepted defeat philosophically, and
with characteristic candor and hon
esty promised himself that if McKin-
1ey's administration brought the pros.
perity that his followers had predicted
he would acknowledge that Organism
was a nightmare and would join the
ranks of McKinley's supporters. That
promise to himself was redeemed SO
far as the president was concerned.
He remained an active Populist, how
ever, and in 1898 not only supported
Lind with all the enthusiasm of his
nature, but came within few votes
of being nominated for congress by the
Populists, and then made another UNI
successful race for the legislature.
His present position and his reasons
for assuming it are given in his own
words. His logic is commended to
every Populist: ri. ~
, Yes, sir, I guess I am a Republican
this year, and am apt to be for some
time to come. I was originally Re-
publican and worked and voted for
Harrison in 1892 But unfortunately
Cleveland was elected president, and
with him came the panic that struck us
all amidships soon after his inaugura-
ton. ~
"At first the ordinary people were
daZed and dumtfounded by the panic,
but by and by we found out that we
were beggared. that lands, houses and
goods. beyond what IVES needed for
immediate personal use, were utterly
worthless, or worse, burden of taxes
and expense. The well-to-do We're
bankrupt and the poor trampled and
starved. The promised relief from the
repeal Of the Sherman law did not ma
terialize, and good many of US COM
cluded that both political parties mad
either lost their reason or had con-
spired to destroy civilization on this
continent. -
" with this condition of public senti-
ment Populism hove into view and
opened the only plausible avenue of re-
lief. Thousands and thousands of the
common people Joined it's ranks, and
with them. Not that and others subs
scribed to the ultra radical tenets Of
the party, but we believed that the
movement furnished the nucleus OF q
new political party that would In time
be able to satisfactorily solve the
mighty social questions that then oon-
fronfsd thie nation. And let me say
right here that If the Peoples party
had had leaders made of the right stuff
statesmen instead of officeseekers at
the helm-it would to-day have been
the second party in the nation and still
have had mission to perform.
'Now am no milk -and-water sort Of
a man. If the new party would succeed
work must be done, and was in it for
all I was worth.
I'm Kandiyohi county we fought the
campaign of 1894 at a swinging gait
We had no newspaper, but led, and
political friends stood by me. and the
willpnar Tribune was established. 1t
was a virile, spirited Populist paper,
and was success from the start.
1.-THE campaign of 1896, with Bryan at
the head of the ticket, came on and !
fought it with all the power at my COM
mand. The issue in 1896 was the res
toration of prosperity. At that time
our financial condition, individually and
as a nation, was all out Of order. Our
financial structure, so to speak, was
dilapidated, the windows out, the shin
giles off, and we were at the mercy of
every squall or gust of wind let loose
from the gambling money centers Of
the world. Two remedies were pro-
posed
.First-Tear out the old dilapidated
money system, root and branch, and
establish an entirely new structure on
q new plan-the free coinage of both
money metals at ratio OF i6 to 1.
Seconds Restore the Republican party
TO power and let it try to fix up the old
shack, as its leaders claimed they
could.
"The majority of voters decided in
3 favor OF the latter. and ! said in an
editorial in the Willmar Tribune Just
after the election--in 1896 that II the
Republican party should succeed IN
doing what Il had promised and would
VIlal-.f 5l.~<Sx.k,.f<w 49, and en- f6af