The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-04

Fq, Teddy's gwine to Dixie.
| In Dixie land, big stick in hand,
| He'll whale de trusts in Dixie,
Away, away. away down South in Dixie.
! Detroit Free Press.
johnson of Minnesota.
The October American Magazine
| contains an extraordinary article, the
/ life story of Governor John Johnson of
| Minnesota. Johnson is the man whom
Colonel Henry Watterson has picked as
| the dark horse" for next year. In an
| Introductory note written for the
American Magazine Colonel Watterson
| mentions johnson in the same breath
with Abraham Lincoln.
| John Johnson, forty-two years old, is
! a Swede. His father was a drunkard,
and died in the poorhouse.. His moth
| er supported her children by taking in
| washing And John johnson helped
| his mother with the washing!
johnson first made good as a clerk.
Then he became a popular country
editor. His two passions were books
and people. He was elected to tho
| legislature, and he has been twice
chosen governor of Minnesota. In
1904, the first time he ran. Roosevelt,
Republican, carried the state by 161,-
600. John Johnson, Democratic con-
didate for governor, carried the state,
too. His plurality was 1900. John
Johnson had changed $4,000 votes.
Eighty-four thousand four hundred
men who voted for Roosevelt, Repub-
lican, had also voted for johnson,
Democrat. Two years later when
Johnson sought reelection. with
Roosevelt out of the way, his plurality,
instead of being 1900, was 72,0O0.
OF Johnson's personality, William
Hard, author of the article. says:
1.-THE fact Is that Johnson's person.
ality, SO effective with people that have
known him all his life in st. Peter, is
almost equally effective with people
who see him for only one evening ON
the platform. He is public speaker
of the first rank. Had this not been
true he could never have won his first
election. He was unknown when he
started. But every man who has heard
him. You hear him and you feel that
now you know him and understand
him and trust him. And the result is
votes rather than ovations.
For John Johnson today, / repeat,
is just what he always was. except that
he has grown. He is liked and trusted
as a governor just as he was liked and
trusted as drug store clerk and after
no training to be an editor, but he ex-
banded to be an editor. They said he
had no training to be a governor, bur
he expanded to be governor
Coalite, a New Fuel Product
A good deal of interest in England
has been centered in coalite, a new
fuel prepared from coal, and an ex-
hibition at Newcastle devoted to a !
practical demonstration of the fuel
has been largely attended. Coalite is |
bright, hard substance, similar in |
appearance to the best grades of coke, !
and in burning makes no smoke and |
produces, it is alleged, twice the heat |
of coal, while a coalite fire last 40 per
cent longer than the ordinary coal |
similar to that employed by the gas |
companies for the production of coke. |
Gas companies treat coal at a high |
temperature, the gas and by-products |
being collected and the residue being |
coke. By the coalite process, how
ever, the coal is treated at a much |
lower temperature, with the result |
that the gas obtained is much richer,
residue being coalite. which can be
easily lighted. and which burns with
great Steadiness and economy.
For household purposes it appears
to have a special value by virtue of its
and heating power The
use of coalite in London. where it is
being. adopted extensively, is expected
to abate in large measure the pres
ent fog and smoke nuisance. King
has given orders that coahte
be used exclusively in Buckingham
Palace. A ton of coal produces 70 per
cent of coalite, but its heating power
being much greater, the ton may be
said to have suffered no loss in value,
while at the same llIIle tIle gas ana
by-products have been extracted and
utilized.
A coalite company has been organ
lied and will erect works at Barking,
near London, where some 100000
tons of coal will be treated annually.
The process, it is said. can be applied
to all bituminous Goals, and contracts
have been made to supply 100000
tons year to London a1one.-New
York Tribune.
The Worlds Railways.
A year and half ago, according to
L German statistician. the railway
oaileaee of the world WAS 663771