The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-08-13
Light Upon This Favorite
Son ofthe Middle West
This is the Manner OF Man the west
Gives TO the Country, q Man OF
Rugged Honesty, of ConsS-
tent Courtesy, OF Refined
Courage, Who Has
Won His Way to
the High

MINNEAPOLIS, August 10.-Now that
Col. Henry Watterson has let II De
known that his mysterious candldate
for the next Democratic residents
nomination is Gov. Johnson of Mime
sofa, persons outside of the Beaver
State are asking for light upon THIS
favorite son of the Middle West.
IF Mr.. BRYAN will only say to the
party remarke Col. Watterson re-
Gently, that he regards Gov.
as the best man for the place, then
Gov. Johnson will be AIMED.
Gov. johnson may be able TO snow
whether he is Presidential timber by
his handling of the ore strike roubles
in the upper lake region. The present
sitration is believed to be Il that a
weak or v~acillating man might not llKe
to face. The country, therefore, Is
awaiting The outcome with interest II
wants to see whether o Johnson -
q firm. level-headed on "io
will not countenance mob rule
Two wears ago a certain flamboyant
citizen of Boston came into h west
and invade the capitol Of Minnesota,
wherein opportunity had pIaced d
self-made man to serve as 1o'eiioi
of the State. It was in the height OF
the agitation for governmental regula-
iI1I VI L IL
the ~self-chosen knight errant from
Boston had been attracted TO Mime
sofa by certain publicly expressed
ideas of this Governor. looking 10
ward concerted action by the states.
Now, hethe the Boston man had
O of his own to serve Is Meth
err here nor there. He went back east
ward. spouting as he went and DEW
cred himself of this:
II met q man out there-John "A.
johnson, Governor, of Minnesota
one Of the sturdiest Americans L ever
ran across-an able, honest, 1earlesS
citizen of the republic. If the Demo-
cratic party should nominate him for
President, and the American people
get a peek at him, nothing would keep
him from landing in the White House
with a majority up with Roosevelts.
Personality Has Attracted Many.
Since then some of the American
people have been getting a peek
and the reports Minnesota hears are
to the effect that the mans person
ality has impressed many.
John A. Johnson has led another
successful political campaign. Persons
in the East and South have recalled
his phenomenal victory over the Re-
publicans in his first campaign for the
~governorship, and have seen him re-
assert his strength. The Governor has
delivered a few addresses-not 50
many as to be open to accusation of
loquacity. Then he has returned to
the Minnesota capitol, and preceding
him have come dispatches referring to
him with increasing p~ositiveness as a
Presidential possibility.
On each such occasion the gov
ernor has disclaimed such aspirations.
But now leaders of his party in the
East and SOuth-So it is asserted in
Minnesota-are apparently beginning
to reckon his strength and his weak
nesses and to weigh them against the
strength or the weakness of-well.
say, Bryan and Folk. And since
they have learned of the governors
beginning, their consideration of him
has taken on added seriousness. They
have read of Governor J~olInson's
struggles and thus I'VE been able to
understand the reasons for his VIC
tories, they have heard of his boy
hood evenings, when he educated him.
self, and then they have measured his
breadth and capacity in his public
addresses.
They all go back to the story of
John A. Johnson's boyhood, and is it
surprising that of them pay
tribute to the earnest, modest, con-
sentative young governor Of Mime
sofa? Johnson is q self-made man.
This is not the trite term of campaigns
| political. He lived a boyhood of
poverty and self-denial to reach a
manhood of distinguished achieve
ment. Opportunity has done is doing.
not q little for the nan but oppor-
tunity tossed no plum to the boy. Per
haps, though, it was the boys unkind
fate that made the mans more kind,
for in no small measure the circum-
stances which made life a struggle for
the boy landed the man in the
errors chair.
He was born Of Swedish parents in
St. Peter, Mimi, July %, 1851. Ills
father was a ne'er-do-well, Who be-
came a confirmed victim of drink.
When job A. Johnson was named for
the g~overnorsllip in 1904, some ill-ad
vised political opponent attempted to
create capital out of the boys treat
ment of his father. But instead. he
showed forth in the glare of campaign
publicity the boys tender, sturdy Of
forts for his mother-the pathetic
s-ory of a boy who took it upon him.
self when he was twelve years old to
quit school and work to support the
mother and sisters whom the father
had deserted.
Errand Clerk at Twelve.