Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-11-01

livered speeches, consisting chiefly OF
Henry George, bound in a separate
pamphlet by Uncle Sam and mailed
about q million copies of Progress
and Poverty" to the people by virtue
of congressmen's postal franks.
Street Car King.
All this time Tom Johnson was eX-
panding as a street car monopolist, as
franchise gobbler. lie came to own
nearly all the car lines in Brooklyn.
while New York, Detroit, st. Louis and
other big cities knew him as a very
large stakeholder. He was the Amer
lean street car king. He also estab-
lished plants for the manufacture of
street car rails at Johnstown. Pa, and
| Lorain, o. While preaching free trade
| in congress a brother member twitted
| him with the sarcastic remark that he
was n manufacturer of steel rails and
as such was being enriched by the pro
tective tariff.
Quite So" said Tom Johnson, "ard
| I'd be fool if / didn't take advantage
of my opportunities. ! may also state
| for your further information that the
other steel rail manufacturers are pay
ing me $4,000 Il year to refrain from
making rails for steam roads"
| About the time of Henry Georges
death Johnson disposed of most of his
street car holdings and determined to
| live better life. At Cleveland he said:
| Thereafter | propose to devote my
whole life to battling for the rights of
the common people. l want no office.
and l will accept none. l simply want
TO be known as one who will protect
| the interests of those unable to protect
themselves against the greed of mo-
nOpolists and seekers after special
privileges. To this purpose l want to
dedicate my life, so help me God"
But after $4,000 voters petitioned
Johnson to run for mayor of Cleve-
land he reconsidered. Reconsideration
seem to be always in order. He ran.
His platform called for equitable taxa
ton, three cent street car fares and
personal attention to the duties of the
Office. CandOr to the point of bodness
marked his campaign speeches. He
freely admitted that as a matter of
business when he was managing street
car companies he lost no opportunity
to euchre the public in every way.
Il was running a street railroad to
make money out of it." he said. Il
have seen the error of my way, though.
know how corporations take advan-
tage of the people, and l want to be
elected to safeguard your interests"
Georges Book His Bible.
1t was like the man of the world who
goes to the revival meeting and kneels
at the mourners' bench. He confesses
that he has been a miserable sinner
but he has read the Bible and has seen
great light Now he promises to be
good the remainder of his days. Georges
book was Tom Johnson's Bible.
There is no disputing the fact that
Mayor Johnson has had his eye on the
presidency for several years. He tried
to make himself presidential light.
ming rod by climbing to the roof OF
Ohio as governor in 1902. His cam
paign in his sons red automobile. with
his circus tent seating 6.0O0 people, is
still sensation throughout Ohio. he
|
) him by keeping him in the mayors
} chair. Within the present year his
II five year fight for three cent fare IL
Cleveland has become successful il
part. He has succeeded also in max
ing many corporations pay much high
er taxes than they used to pay.
! That Tom L. Johnson is up to snuff
as a municipal official is illustrated b!
| his first act as mayor. He was elected
, April 1, 1901. His predecessor had pu
= through an ordinance granting to /,
! railroad corporation large part of tn,
lake front. Johnson's lawyers secured
an injunction against the signing O.
this ordinance until IL o'clock tn,
morning of April 4. The mayor cleo
hustled up the counting of the vote
> and got his certificate of election a
e 1923 o'clock April and was sworn il
: at once. He had thirty-seven MINUTES
? left, and he knocked out the lake from
: franchise with the first fell stroke o
r his mayoralty pen.