The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-20
Johnson's KeYnote.

Governor johnson opened his cam
paign for reelection to the governor
ship in speech at Red Wing last even
ing. So far as the most of the speech
is concerned there will be no quarrel
with it. It is patriotic, businesslike
and full of common sense. 1t is only
when Governor Johnson tries to con-
meet the acts of his administration with
an argument for the continuance Of his
party in power that it suffers from a
hiatus in the logic. For it appears
that when Governor Johnson had some
thing to say about the appraisal Of rail
road properties he went to a republican
legislature, and it authorized a republi-
can board of railway commissioners to
make the appraisement. When he had
something to say about timber trespass
he again had to go to a republican
legislature and carry his recommended
tions into court thru republican attor-
ney general. Now, there is no reason
to suppose that republican governor,
that is properly constituted republi-
can governor, would not have done the
same things. 1t was republican gov
| ernor who stopped the merger and it
was a republican governor who set
republican, public examiner upon the
track Of the timber abuses and revealed
the facts upon which Governor Johnson
is making most Of his campaign for re-
election. So that it is not necessary
to have democratic governor to do
these things. They can be done and
have been done by republican COVER
nors.
It might be pleaded that the gov
ernor is not seeking reelection as a
partizan, but on the strength Of his
administration. But the plea of znon-
paftizanship would have gone down.
betterif the democrats had put Attor-
ney-General Young upon their ticket.
That would have been a frank acknowl-
Judgement that it is the work of the re-
publican attorney general, backed, by a
republican legislature, following up the
facts unearthed by S. T. Johnson, a re-
publican examiner, which has furnishe d
the governor with the framework of
his administration. zuE 2ts -.
/ Perhaps it would have been. too
frank for campaign purposes. But
i neither this nor any other failure to do
the courteous thing can obscure the
! fact that Mr.. Young was there and
| would have done his part, and the only
essential part, governor or no governor
u Perhaps we may be excused If we call
Eattention to the fact that while our
tneighbor across the alley was Hopping
= taround yesterday declaring the snomina
ton of Jones in one extra and of Will
I liams in another, and finally settling
down in the afternoon to the conclusion
= that Williams was the nominee Th
Mayor Jones in the morning and con.
tinued all day to show that the returns
. pointed to- that result. The Journa
;, discovered early in that day that. the ad.
vance returns on mayor received at the
4 Jones headquarters in advance of the full
count in those precincts were reliable
and using them in connection with tn,
official returns received at the auditors
J office, was able to give the public rea
4 sonably accurate information all tn,
, time Of the tendency of the vote. Nobod.
!. who followed Journal predictions was de
q lceived as to the facts at any time Ez
y u, ~ . H. = rs