New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1907-01-02
PAST, PRESENT And FUTURE
Fortunes Wheel Makes Many a
Capricious Turn.

Fortunes Wheel Makes Many a
Capricious Turn.
What Has it in Store for Cover
nor Johnson?
Will it Pick Him as Presidential
Candidate in 1905?
Fortunes wheel has many caprici-
Gus turn, and in the domain of chance
there is no impossibility. What APP
pears ridiculous today is reality to-
morrow. Today a man walks the
streets unnoted among his fellows, and
tomorrow he stands in isolated glory
appropriating the plaudits OF the
throng.
There is no law of probabilities in
the measuring of personal destiny. A
mans ability, desire, opportunity, eff
fort, all combined, do not injure his
future. He is buffeted about by every
variable wind, whether he will or not,
and he finds himself famous, not by
reason of his will or wish, but by rea-
son of his helplessness.
Twelve years ago John A. johnson
was an obscure country editor. His
brethren of the press knew him for an
average, ordinary country newspaper
man. He did not stand out as particu-
larry distinguished among the men OF
his own fraternity.
Six years ago he was a state senator
of no unusual weight or Importance
one of sixty three. He was as senator
what he had been as editor-a genial
kindly, good-natured, magnetic man,
pleasant companion, an entertaining
conversationalist.
At the end of his first term in the
state senate, he was defeated for re-
election, and he retired back to the
sanctum of his newspaper, without any
prospects for further political honor.
His name was on nobody's tongue.
A hundred other country editors were
as we'll known as he, and as able.
Then capricious fortune took hand
in his affairs.
He was prevailed upon to offer him.
self as a sacrifice in behalf of the
democratic party of Minnesota "a
party to which he had never given very
enthusiastic allegiance. He took up
that fight as forlorn hope. But a
situation such as has never existed be-
fore made him governor of the state OF
Minnesota-he had drifted into promi-
nence without effort on his own part.
And forthwith he became name in
this western country.
The two great political parties of the
country are already lining up their
forces for the great national combat
of 1908.
Democracy is casting her eyes about
for a suitable candidate for the presi-
Dental nomination-and suitable
candid ate from a democratic stand
point this year must be a peculiar per-
sonality.
And here in Minnesota sits John A.
johnson, making no more effort to be-
come the presidential candidate than
he made to become the gubernateria
candidate.
Will fortune still insist on touching
him with her magic wand?
There is nothing facetious in the idea
that John A. johnson may lead the
democratic party in its next national
campaign. 1t looms bigger each day
as possibility.
When John A. johnson was elected
governor of Minnesota he assumed no
great responsibility, because he felt
that none had been thrust upon him.
AS he had been a passive candidate, so
he became passive governor, and his
two years. incumbency of that Office
was spectacle of two years of mas
terly inactivity
In his two years in the ssmarble
palace he has made no enemies, done
nothing to displease and won to him
self many friends by his personalmag-
netism and joviality.
His second term will undou btedly be
marked by those same characteristics,
and the same genial mixing policy
which starts no unpleasant agitation,
but keeps people feeling good. .
And because of the ease and grace
with which he filed that Office, there
was much criticism from people who
believe that a governor should be a