Fair play., 1908-04-25
NEED OF COUNTRY
TRIUMPH OF DEMOCRATIC PRlN
clPLEs Is IMPERATIVE.
THE MAN AND THE HOUR.
With the Nomination Of John A. John.
son, Progressive Democrat Of In
teerity, Ability and Achieve
msnt, Success Is Assured.

msnt, Success Is Assured.
Wearied of IL years of overwhelm-
Ing defeat In national elections, dur.
ing which time the party has lost ma
tional political control of every north
ern state and has witnessed devastat.
ing inroads even on the southern
states, hundreds OF thousands OF Dem
ocratic voters have in the last few
months asked: "Who is the man who
can lead the party to vlctory?"
The best OF armies. military or po-
litical, require some measure OF sue.
cess TO maintain their spirit and eff
ficiency. Continuous and overwhelm.
ing defeat, even in the worthiest of
! causes. disheartens the strongest men.
Conditions are such in this. year
1908, that united Democracy, sup.
porting a strong presidential nominee,
can win the presidential office and
| open the way for return of the Demo.
cratic party to power. Not only do
| the best interests OF the Democratic
| party call for victory this year, but
so also do the best interests Of the ma
tion. Twelve years of almost unop
posed government of the republic by
| one party, and for eight of those years
practically by one man. have brought
about conditions that are repugnant
to the efficient and satisfactory ad
ministration of government sup
posedly of the people.
Principle with Victory.
Victory can be achieved this year
without sacrificing one iota of the
stand for principle that has been made
with so much sacrifice by the Demo
cratic party of the United States for
the last dozen years. 1t is merely a
question OF changing leadership Three
times in succession our party has gone
to defeat, because its leadership has
not been able to inspire confidence in
the masses of the voters, patriotic,
progressive and sincere as that leader.
ship has unquestionably been. The
| party is greater than its individual
membership and greater than It's lead,
ers. The time has come when it
| should name its leader in a presiden.
| tial campaign and no longer permit It.
| self TO be defeated by a sentimental,
| though heroic, devotion to great
name that has dominated it for a
! dozen years.
If in the ranks of the party there is
man whose principles, whose party
| fealty, whose success in political bat
| ties, whose actual achievements in
! legislation and statesmanship-and a
| man holding a commanding political
| situatiOn-are such that victory under
! his leadership is indicated is it not
the duty of reasonable, thoughtful, de.
voted Democrats, desiring the success
of their party, to turn to him?
johnson the Man.
The friends Of Gov. John A. johnson
of Minnesota, who have watched his
remarkable career in recent years, a:
well as impartial observers and jour
nalists throughout the country, believe
that he is the man of the hour, the
man in every way equipped to make {
successful campaign, and afterwarC
TO be a chief executive of the highes
order. Let us briefly review his career
John A. johnson was born in ST
Peter, Nicollet county, Minnesota
July rs, 1861, Of Swedish parents. Hi
childhood and youth were passed il
great poverty. At l8 years of age. h
was compelled TO leave the publ
schools of his native city in order t
support himself and the parental fan
lily. Though his formal education wa
thus early cut short, his self-educatio
never stopped. A student at all times
a wide reader and a thoughtful one
Mr.. Johnson, after some years Of oil
scure toll as drug and grocery cler
and railway tlmekeeper, became q
the age Of "a editor OF the St Pete
Herald. He soon became known a
one OF the ablest of Minnesota jou
nalists and was recognized as one {
the leaders of journalism in a state r,
markable for the number. vigor and II
fluence of its periodical press As
country editor, he was gradually draw
into politics and in 1898 was eecte
a member of the senate of the MINI
sofa legislature, and his first public p
litical work was as member of thi
body From the first, he was ident
fed with various reform measure
? which have since become law in Mi
{ nesota.
r. Wherever Gov. Johnson has gon
. he has impressed men as being ma
of the Lincoln type, He has the ia
uty OF making many friends and fe
/. enemies,
3 Gov. Johnson's Legislative Results.
+ The governor recommended a pc
5 manent tax commission. The leg
o lature gave it to him and the ink w
n hardly dry on the document before
appointed a commission so strong
its personnel that the Republican sc
It ate resolved by a rising vote to &C
a frm the appointments without dels
e. while the equally Republican houi
f. though without the power of confirm
1t tion, expressed by a rising vote its {
at probation of the excellence Of the gC
| ernor's appointments.
In northern Minnesota are the gre
In est iron ore fields in the world. T
SO state of Minnesota owns eXtensi
h. areas of these lands. BY leases tn
were largely in the hands of the Ur
H. ed States Steel Corporation and
e- state was receiving only an insign
III cant income from its royalties. I
IS governor advised the withdrawal
all such lands from mineral leases a
er the legislature concurred.
IS. Minnesota has enjoyed but scant
Sc
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