The Washington herald., 1907-04-28

I
/ His activities along this line have great
| ly increased since the beginning Of Janu-
airy. All through December he received
/ many invitations TO attend public din
ners, at each Of which he would have
/ chance to speak his mind to the public
/ but he refused most Of them Then, when
asked 10 speak at a dinner inauguFating
] a movement to decrease accidents, he ac-
| cepted, because he believed in the move
/ ment but let It be known that he ex-
! pected 10 be too busy with his reform
/ programme as governor to attend any
! other functions away from Albany until
after the close of the legislative session.
He attended the safety dinner. and
made rafting good address, short, to
| the point, and utterly devoid of anything
concerning his gubernatOrial plans. With
I IN few days thereafter, however. he
began TO accept invitations right and left,
most Of them in New York, each of
which required a considerable absence
from Albany, and in many of the speeches /
l he has spoken freely of his plans and
purposes. Instead Of being more difficult
to secure for post-prandlal speaking than
most earlier governors, as apparently he
| mad planned, he has done more miscel-
laneous speaking in the last four months
than almost any New York governor
within the memory of man.
Fufthermore, he has generally been &C
companied by his military secretary, and
not infrequently has had the support of
his entire military stan gorgeousIy uni
formed and highly impressive from
spectacular standpoint.
His alOofness with regard to the poliu-
clans, Of which you have read, has been
as marked as his unexpected cordiality
| toward the public. His decision not 10
occupy the little back room at the Capitol,
| used Tor private conferences by all his
predecessors. but to talk 10 everybody Ia
! the big governors rooms, where every
body can hear what is said, caused almost
| as much amusement at first as his most
drastic legislative proposals.
Johnson is not d college man: Hughes
Is, having attended Hamilton, now Col
gate. before going to Brown University.
where he was graduated; but he had 10
work as a youngster before graduation, /
as well as afterward. He has been a
small money lenders clerk, a school |
teacher, an instructor IN a law school. |
and has followed several other callings |
| beside the law and the governorship for a |
livelihood.
He had a hard time getting his first job |
as teacher at the Delaware Academy, |
Delhi. n Y. because Of his youthful an
pearance, and thereby hangs the tale OF |
his Whiskers, which lend him such distinc- |
ton in these days Of smoothly shaven |
faces or mustaches only,
He made several applications in person |
before trying Delhi. In each case he /
failed, and as he suspected, because he /
looked so young. So he wrote TO the 4
Delhi authorities detailing his quallfica- /
tions as he understood them, and was 1
promptly engaged. But he received quite I
jolt when he presented himself SIen- /
der, angular, fair, smooth-faced and i'm /
mature III appearance, not at all the sort |
OF chap the authorities expected, they
seemed TO hesitate after looking him over /
Then they told him frankly that they 4
had some doubt whether one so young /
looking could manage the stalwart big |
boys 10 be placed in his care.
why" said one, you have no more
whiskers than an egg"
II was admitted, though, that there was
no question as 10 his scholarship or men
tai ability, also that a contract was a con- /
tract, and he was allowed to go 20 work /
He managed the big boys all right, but /
he grew whiskers all over his face as /
soon as ever he could
How johnson Came I'd.
The story of the rise of Johnson was |
published broadcast over the United 1
States during his first gubernationaI cam /
paign, and has been repeated and alluded /
to many times since then.
That he could have been elected had not 4
his opponent made much of the circum- |
stance that his father, who had been a 4
blacksmith, had also died In the poor /
house. a hopeless victim of the liquor /
habit. and that his mother had taken In /
washing" is doubtful. Certainly nothing |
short of the truly American romance of |
a boy situated as he was, working him 1
self up 10 the chief executive place in /
a sovereign State could have made him /
known all over the country exactly as !
he is known. You may ask most men in |
vain for details in the lives Of most /
governors of most States, no matter how
well known, but every one who has read |
the newspapers, anywhere between the /
oceans, knows that Minnesota's governor
is a washerwoman's son, and respects him /
the more for his fight against adverse |
circumstances.
He is one Of the class from which count !
less statesmen. soldiers, captains Of indus /
try, and leaders of American men in every /
line have come. and his story strikes an /
almost universally responsive chord. His /
election on the second time by nearly ten 4
fold as great a plurality as the first, how
ever, must have been due to something
quite different from any sentimental in
terest felt in him personally because Of |
his early difficulties
Those who know Johnson. best say he Is
an accomplished politician, yet a man
whom the solid business element is not
afr To
Teformer. too. and some fear has been
expressed that if he has his entire will
as to the control OF the great insurance
companies in Minnesota they will be
driven altogether out of the State. He
began on the National Insurance Com
pany Of Minnesota during his first term.
removed its officers, including the presi-
dent and d former president and caused
the conviction of several insurance men
on criminal charges.
He has brought about a degree OF State
railroad reform, has lessened Illegal tres
passes upon State timber lands and some
how has managed 10 carry on the State
government tremendously, despite the
fact that all the elected State officers ex-
eept himself are Republicans.
He is a born harmoniZer on the line Of
the hOmely old maxim that You can
catch more flies with molasses than you
can with vinegar" he tells stories occa-
sionallyi though not too often, and they
are generally pretty good ones He
speaks forcibly and eloquently, and there
is literary favor about his official
papers. His admirers say his face con
tains more than suggestion of Lin
coins expression, although its outlines
are anything but Lincolnesque. and while
there is no trace Of the morose about him
his cOuntenance in repcse suggests sad !