Bisbee daily review., 1908-11-17

victory can be won. II is going to
take some little time for the party
as a whole to rehabilitate itself, finu
itself, as it were. There are the sore
spots to be rubbed out; there are diff
ferent elements to be conciliated.
And think that al this will be done
within four years. perhaps even
sooner. But II Democracy is ever 10
be triumphant she must present to the
enemy an undivided front, and that is
what she did not do this year."
Was the Democratic platform to
biame?' tie governor was asked.
WAS 1t tco radical or not radicai
enough? Did 1t embrace too much +:
Did-it scatter its fire too broadly or
was it all right and 10 your own
personal liking"
The governor unused a moment,
then he said:
1T certainly was radical enough" ="
That was all. He would not discuss
the matter more In detail.
"One more question, governor
Here are six or more states. most of
them in the great middle west, which
in the face Of large pluralities for
Taft, have elected, or nearly elected,
Democratic governors. How do you
account for this state of affairs in
light of the national defeat?"
National politics again" he said,
''and / will not discuss them. But L
will say that in these states 1t was
not althogether questions of purely
state issues that contributed to Dem
ocratic success"
And your own victory, what of
that?"
THE figures teH the story said
johnson, Some say 1t was a Jonn-
son victory, others say 1t was vic
tory for the principles which / have
advocated in the four years in which
I have been in Office. Whether It was
a personal victory or whether 1t was
due to other causes is something on
which others are better qualified TO
speak than I am
But l do know that it was the
hardest fight in which ever was en-.
gagged And one of the greatest
sources of qualification to ne in the
! whole is that the Steel trust, which
for the first time came out in lhe
open and fought me. was So teau;:tul
ly whipped"
Corrected figures show Johnson's
plurality over Jacobsen to be nearly
10000 votes. Taft carried Minnesota
by $1,000. It was a Johnson victory
pure and simple. The governor made
his fight on his four years record in
office. He made the fight alone and
almost without money. His personal
expenses during the campaign, ac-
cording to the figures which he filed
today with the secretary OF state
were a little over $1,000.
In the three campaigns which
have made for governor of Mime,
sota," said Johnson today. "the Demo
cratic state committee has had less
than $4,000, all told to spend
The Steel Trust which owns i'm.
mense~ interests in the state did not
like the increase in the valuation OF
its properties from S35, 900 900 to $1S5,
000,0 coo, that has come during John.
sons administrations. The pubnc
utility corporations did not like the
increase OF three hundred and thirty
per cent that has been made in the
value of their taxable property dur.
ing Johnson's time. The railroads
sought to get revenge for an anti-pass
, law, 4 twocent fare law. and a Law
which compelled a reduction in
freight rates. The mining interests
did not like that withdrawal of state
lands from mineral leases which haG
come in Johnson's time; the lumber
interests did not like the governors
action in prosecuting the timber
trespassers. And SO It went. Every
big interest was against Johnson His
+ opponent was man with a splendid
! legislative record behind him.
The people were with me- / guess
that's the whole thing in a nutshell,
said Johnson. Anyone with the peo
! rle, the plain every day people behind
/ him is going to win every time.
And another thing. l put my op
ponent on the defensive from the first
crack Of the gun. It's good thing
to have the other fellow on tae de
fensive."