The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-25
COLONEL JOHNSON
An Estimate by One Who Knew Him
Long and Well.


An Estimate by One Who Knew Him
Long and Well.
70 the Editor of The Journal.
want to thank you for your very COR
dial and just editorial appreciation Of
Colonel Charles w. johnson. May add
my own tribute to one whom I have
known intimately for more than thirty
years.
The keynote of Colonel Johnson's sue
cess in whatever he undertook was his in
dustry. Beyond that he had great conf
dence in himself. His enemies were wont
to call this latter characteristic egOtism,
but to his confdants he was wont to>l
speak plainly Of this criticism. recall
that one of the first pieces Of advice he
ever gave me was to "believe in yourself
and your cause" He carried this princi-
pie into everything which he said and did.
Let me illustrate his industry and en-
thusiasm.. The incident is connected with |
with my first recollection Of the man. In
1859 or, 1870 I was a comprehensive a |
plain "sub''-in the office Of the Minneap-
oils Tribune, which then occupied the
building on Washington avenue where the
Stoddard Hardware company Is now |
located. The editorial room and the COM
posingroom were on the third floor of the
building. Charlie" Johnson, as everyone
called him, was the local editor of the
Tribune. Hugh Greene was the editor
Mr.. Greene had stepped across the hall to
the composingroom with piece Of copy
when fire alarm or something else OF the
sort was sounded. Mr.. Johnson dashed
out of the editorial room like mad, en-
countering Mr.. Green at the door, and
well nigh knocking him over in his mad
haste to get out after the news. The
'1ocal editor was down the two flights Of
stairs and out Of the building before the
dignified editor had fully recovered him
self and then he turned and said: well,
if any of that piece of news gets away
from that young man it will not be his
fault" ~...s g..
+ A few years later, and for more than
two years, until the Evening Mail was
sold to the Pioneer Press company in
May of 1876, was associated with Mr..
Johnson on the Evening Mail. I was the
cub reporter, and Mr.. Johnson the edi-
tor. There was no city editor, no man
aging editor, no telegraph editor between
us. We constituted the entire staff of
| what was then the only evening paper In
Minneapolis We worked side by side for
| more than two years. Mr.. Johnson wrote
editorials in the morning or turned them
| out at home in the: evening, ;rewrote the
| important matters which first found pub
| 1lCdllOI III Tile u1OII1uS pdpSIS, SOl Oul OIl
the street and TUNED in his complement
OF city news edited the Associated Press
report when it came in the afternoon and
did whatever else there was todo-not
forgetting to keep the political pot boiling
all the time. He did not stand on the
/ dignity of his position on the paper. He
| just worked. He loved his work. He
taught me then habits Of industry which
| have served me well since. We differed
often. He was pugnacious and he excited
lwhat little Of pugnacity there Is in me.
/ But our friendship grew, and his endured
ever since. I shall always remember him
as loyal employer. I made mistakes
I stirred up some of the fights he loved
so much. But whether was right OF
wrong he invariably defended me when II
came to face-to-f face encounter with the
offended one. After the offended one hao
gone, If was really to blame, as was
sometimes the case, he did not hesitate tt
"dress me down" In his best style. Early
Journalism in Minneapolis was more OF
LESS personal, and everybody in towr
knew every member of the staff of all thu
papers It was everybody's prerogaNvt
i to damn. not the paper, but the men WIFI
made them. ..t
The disappointment in Mr.. Johnson
life was the sale of the Mail. He fore
} saw to some extent the future of Min
, neapolis and the future of the evenin
newspaper field which T h o jour n a
has now filled so many years SO well
He foresaw fin the management and con
troll Of Minneapolis paper an opportun
ity to WELD his influence and to f1gh
for his party and his city-a city jus
. beginning to develop. It was against hi
= best judgment that the Mail was sol
, to tom King. as afterwards developed
- to pass into the control Of the Pionee
Z Press company. But his partner. Fred l
= Smith, wanted it sold, and Mr.. Johnson
financial adviser, and to some exter
=. his financial hacker, Hugh G.. Harrison
? advised it. The price paid for the pape
:, then seemed extravagant considerin
= how little belonged to it and how muc
=, money it was losing each month
~ had the instincts Of a newspaper ma
=. and wanted a career of that sort MOI
:, than anything else. ~, r., ~.
= It was not until after the sale
+ the Evening Mail in 1875 that he he
y political office, as has already been n
! cited in T h u r n !, and he alwa!
=, treasured the hope that the opportuni
- would come again to him to own ar
- control a newspaper in Minneapolis.
a. am inclined to believe that it was a. mi
-, fortune that his duties in Washingtt
;. and the vocation of his latter life took hi
SO 1uuCI away Nl1IllICdpOl1Sy lOl
~ was peculiarly fitted to serve the city
: loved so well as few men are equipped
u, serve it. He had been away from Mi
:, neapolis so much during the past TWEEN
=, years that he found great comfort
~ his election to the position Of coun
- treasurer. He looked on it as substa
60 tial indication that he was still Mi
" neapolis man, and not a political III
~ been."s :
~ A night or two before the election m
~ him on newspaper row in Minneapo1
III still campaigning, and he told me how
= had thrown tradition aside and made
IN campaign, which proved SO wonderful
no successful, in his own way. He "
ne confident that he was going to win.
was great satisfaction to me that he {
win, because believed it possible
him to become again thoro1y identif
with the business life of Minneapoli.
all the time and on all occasions-ant
hit believed that he would prove so satisf;
"a, tory a treasurer that the chances W,
a he would fill the office for a good ma
a years-as long as he might live and
he sire to carry a responsibility Of any sc
ed His death seems to me untimely.
he me add that it has given me great sat
he faction and comfort to find In T
of - = SO i,1Sf oro6 {YS1 oo &c