The age-herald., 1901-04-21
Looming flakes His Money One Way and Talks Politics the Other Way

ity.
 Tom Johnson has long been a pictur- esque character. A street railroad mag net, Congressman, single taxer socialist, politician. philosopher and good fellow. he has added to the gayety of the nation for many years.
 He has just been elected Mayor of Cleveland by sweeping majority, while the rest of his ticket went down to de- feat. Remember that Cleveland is a Re- publican stronghold. Remember that it is the home of Mark Hanna. Is 1t any wonder that the eyes of the Democracy are scanning Tom as a possible Moses?
 It is true that Johnson is for sound money but the financial issue may be buried under new issues three Eears hence. Johnson, by his election becomes the most conspicuous exponent of cer- tain reform and socialistic ideas. and the Democratic party is headed toward so- cialsm.
 Tom Johnson is robber baron. He dosn't deny 1t. He has a fortune esti- mated at sl0O0.OOO to GOO He has made it out of special privileges granted by the people and out of high street car fares. He has plundered his millions from the people under the prevailing eco- homie system He has boldly proclaimed. the robbery for years past. He told it in Congress. He announced it on the stump He explained 1t in writing. Yet he was elected Mayor of Cleveland on platform demanding Scent street car fares and denouncing the giving away of valuable special privileges.
 Let the world cry Inconsistent! ln- sincere,' Tom Johnson has been elected Mayor of Cleveland. He at least had the grace and the honesty while grabbing his millions not to make pretense of phi lanthropy. He did not play the hypocrite then. The people apparently believe he is not going to begin career of hypoc- racy now.
 Tom Johnson is rich beyond the avarice of the average man. He has thrown off business. He has sold out his street rail roads and his steel plants. He has put his millions into gilt-edge bonds. All he will have to do will be to clip coupons and sign checks He says he is going to devote the remainder of his life to the welfare of the people.
 Tom Johnson is Mayor of Cleveland He has his eyes on the governors chair at Columbus. And then-well, governors of Ohio have been nominated for Presi- dent before this. 
 Johnson's ancestors were among the pioneers of the bloody grounds of Ken lucky. The family has already contrib lited one President to the country. Tom is the son of the late Col. Albert w. Johnson who was a wealthy planter in Arkansas before the war. The father threw his fortunes on the side of the South and sent his wife and three sons to Milleville Ga.
 Tom was ten years of age, and he at once began to hustle to help his moth CT. railroad contractor went his se- curity for papers, and he started as a newsboy on railroad trains. People were hungry for news and he made money When the war closed Colonel Johnson did not have money enough to take his fam fly back to the deserted plantation in Arkansas. Young Tom came to the res cue with his savings of $SS.
 There was nothing on the ruined farm in Arkansas to attract a boy who had acquired a taste of money making, and at the age of II Tom Johnson became an office boy at & week in the foundry of T. c. Coleman at Louisville, Ky. He swept the office, ran errands and picked up scraps that were in other peoples way.
 B. Dupont one of the family of powder makers, was a part owner of the foundry One day he saw the lad rush out of the office into the street, pick up bit of iron and return with it to the foundry scrap heap. Some of his friends have since suspected that 1t was a horseshoe. At any rate MT. Dupont asked: 'Why did you do that, my son?''
 ''Why, sir" answered the boy, a bit embarrassed, 'there was no use wasting 1t. They can put it in the furnace and use it over again.
 Well, young man, I think I can use VII in St Dupont. How would you like to come at % a week?"
 How would be like a raise of $5 a week? Well, didn't he jump at 1t so quick 1t made his heart stand still?
 In those days each passenger dropped his fare into a box on the street car, and al certain points the money was taken from the box by employees called drawers. Tom Johnson became a drawer accident ally and got another boost in the world One of the rules of the. company required the drawer to deposit each sack of money in the office safe and close the door of the safe. No one but the drawers had access to the room. and they carelessy got into the habit of dropping their sacks upon the floor of the room until evening, when all were put into the safe at once.
 One day the chief drawer was sick. and Johnson was sent to take his place. He read the rules carefully, and after drawing the money from his first car he bounded upstairs, put the sack in the safe and slammed the door.
 What are you doing that for?' de- manded the bookkeeper.
 Because the rules say so,' said Tom over his shoulder as he rushed out to catch another car.
 After this had happened a dozen times the bookl<eeper began a row, declaring that Johnsons action was a reflection on the office mans honesty. Mir. Dupont happened to drop in in the midst of the dispute when Johnson explained that he was merely obeying the rules. He was made chief drawer on the spot, and at the age of r became superintendent of the road.
 Three years later Tom Johnson and his uncle. with a man named Shepherd. bought the Indianapolis street railroad, and the young man was made general manager. The system cost them SS0,0O0 md they sold it for more than $l ,00O, GOO.
 Johnson took his share of the money and went to Cleveland in search of a new street car investment. On the West Side he found mule line running from the market house to nowhere and back. It had never made cent, and Johnson got it for a song.
 He discovered a forgotten law which made it possible for one company to use the tracks of another in certain parts of the city This enabled him to cross the river and he branched out on the East Side. He introduced improvements. He organized a big stock company. He dealt in stocks. His fortune grew stead ilv. He took hand in politics. He was elected to Congress in 1890 and again in 1892