The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-05-18
ST. PETER LIKES
GOVERNOR JOHNSON
Before Being Governor He
Was the Little Towns
Editor.
A REMARKABLE CAREER.
MINNESOTA EXECUTIVE FORGED
HIMSELF TO THE FRONT BY
HIS MANLiNEss, COURAGE AND
ABILITY.

st. Peter, Mimi, May 18.-As the
time for the Democratic National con-
ventton draws nearer and while the
eyes of the thousands of democrats
throughout the country are fixed on
Governor Johnson, of Minnesota, and
his growing chances Of securing the
presidential nomination, the inhabi-
tants Of this little town nave a unique
interest in the convention for upon its
outcome depends the answer to the
one question which everyone here is
asking. will John Johnson come back
to ST. Peter to look after his neWspa-
per and be one of us again." The
business men are asking this ques-
ton. The women and children are
anxious to learn the answer. The
office force, from the "deVil' up to
Henry 'E,ssler. are eager to find out
whether or not the boss will ever
return tothis job of editing his weekly
paper.
When John Johnson stepped on
board the train to go to st. Paul to
B'o
pie in the big marble state house, he
turned around to Henry Essler and
said: 'I'll, be back in two years, Hen
ry Try to keep the subscribers in
line, and don't let the ads get away
from you; keep the job work going"
Two years passed, with Johnson on
the governors job at St. Paul, but he
didn't come back. He had looked
after the peoples business as he had
his own job work, and the people APP
preciated it. They couldn't afford
to let a good man out, SO they hired
him for another two years. In the
Nnantime, Essler looked after the pa
and st. Peter waited for Johnson
come back home.
Now it has come to pass that John
sons fame has grown beyond the
township line The State of Mime
sofa was not big enough to hold it, and
now the Minnesota executive is one
of the most talked of men for the po-
sition of standard bearer for the dem
ocratic party in the next campaign.
The eyes of all st. Peter are strained
toward Denver to learn If their idol is
to go to Washington. They wish him
success from the bottom of their
hearts. but secretly+and earnestly what
they want to know is whether John
is coming back home to attend to the
job work and write the locals on the
old paper
Hes too good a man to lose" said
one of the old residents of the town
Voicing the feelings Of the rest
THAT'S why we lost him. First the
Legislature took him and then the
vtate made him governor. Now il
looks as If the country wanted him
and II it does, the state won't be able
to keep him any more than we were
You see we are interested because W.
know him. We have watched hin
grow up here and win his first life
battles. While others wondered at hi
success, we did not wonder. becaus
we know on what firm foundations o
character and ability it was based
He's bound to win out because hi
whole life has been a winning on
against hardships, poverty and obsta
Cles Of every kind"
Go to anyone in st. Peter and the,
will say the same thing in differen
words. and they will follow it with al
account of the governors life. The.
will tell how, when his drunken faith
err abandoned his mother, the lad qui
school and started to work to help SUI
port her. They will tell how he work
ed in country store for SO a week
and later in drug store and in a rail
road contractors office, and how h
Kept on educating himself by reading