Willmar tribune., 1908-10-28
Republican Managers Scrutinize
Governor J0hns0n'S Acts
without Success.
Man Of NATIONAL REPUTATION
Name Of minnesota's Executive
a Synonym for Honesty
and Integrity. .: L

three months campaign has been in
progress in this state looking to the
election of J. F. jacobson as his sue.
cessor. During this time political feel.
Ing has. in the nature of things, run
high. Mr.. Jacobson's managers, In JUS.
tice to their candidate, have closely
scrutinized the governors official rec.
ord. If that record has developed cul.
pability his committee has been clear.
ly within it's rights in criticising it.
With only ten days of the campaign
remaining absolutely no criticism OF
John A. Johnson as governor of Min
nesota has been made. Mr.. Jacob
sons newspaper organs, taking their
cue from the Republican state central
committee, have been unable to find
single flaw in the governors official
record. They have, therefore, been
forced to descend to campaign tactics
which assail the governor for vote
on some obscure bill during his term
of office as state senator, nearly ten
years ago. The governor stands on
his whole record, whether as senator
or governor, but it is reasonable to
suppose that, as he is candidate for
reelection to the Office of governor,
his record as governor, after four
years of service as the chief executive
OF the state, should be the test of his
fitness for the Office
John A. Johnson is on the threshold
of a career which will not confine his
activities to the state of Minnesota.
He is one of the best known men cf
the American nation. His name,
throughout the length and breadth of
the land, is synonym for honesty of
purpose, wide sympathy with the
great mass of our population, keen
and incisive intellect that goes
straight to the heart of things, and a
sound judgment that places him on
the right side of all the great ques-
tions agitating the public mind and
public conscience. Ir New York and
New England he is regarded as CON-
ing man in the political life of the
country; he is the idol of thousands
CT ,-,2 Ec-t citizens Of the Southern
states; he is the pride and glory Of
the people of his own nationality In
tie o.-iilIle I'D Western states, and
he is certainly the favorite son of
Minnesota. To listen now to the ap-
Ee@1s of nere partisans, who would
curb his future and circumscribe his
career would be an error which the
people Of Minnesota as whole would
live to regret. He has brought more
fame to Minnesota than any man or
set of men ever produced by the state,
and his triumphant reelection will be
regarded by the people of the country
as a justification of the claims made
for him by his friends throughout the
United States that his public career
has but just begun. Not only the peo-
pie of his own political faith-and
they are all proud of him-but those
Minnesota citizens who differ from
him politically, have an equal pride
with Democrats in his success this
year.
He has made his fight for re-elec.
tion almost single-handed, and against
MIN nave been pltted the great lead.
ers of the opposition party in the ma
tion. Not only has Mr.. Taft come to
Minnesota, but Governor Hughes, Sen.
ator Beveridge, Governor Cummins
and Senator Dolliver have sounded
the tocsin and cried for party loyalty,
that this solitary figure. looming large
in the North Star state, may be de-
feated and his public career destroyed.
All of these men have the greatest
admiration and respect for Governor
Johnson. and their coming to this
state is simply in Difference to party
discipline and the fear that, should
Johnson win in Minnesota in a pres.
fdential year, he will become a great
national possibility in another na-
tional campaign. 1t is up to the peo.
pie of Minnesota to do justice by
John A. Johnson.