Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-20
Toni. JOHNSON'S
FORTUNE IS LOST
BROTHERLY DEVOTION BREAKS
CLEVELAND'S MAYOR
ADVERSELY DOES NOT AFFECT
sTAUNcH SPIRIT
Declares His Ideals Are Not Shat
Yered, and He VIII Again
Seek Office as Chief
Executive

CLEVELAND, Ohio, Nov. 19.--Mayor
Tom L. Johnson, who for years has
been credited with possessing a very
large fortune, announced today that he
had lost everything and would be COM
PEELED to give up his beautiful home on
Euclid. avenue and move into smaller
and less expensive quarters
The mayor also stated that he would
give up his automobile and other lux
uries because he could no longer afford
TO keep them.
His fortune was wrecked, the mayor
declared, by his devotion to the aftalrs
of the estate of his dead brother, Al
bert who was heavily interested IN
traction properties in the east.
After sAlberts death a question was
put up to him whether he would resign
his office as mayor and take up tile
MANAGEMENT of Albert's estate. the
mayor said today:
"I decided that l would not. | had
entered the fight in this city with GER
tain ideals before me. / wanted to nght
privilege and special interests, and
had already decided to give up work
ing for dollars. So / concluded to stay
right here and do what l could to help
my brothers children at long distance
Has Been Happy
"Why did l choose the course l did?
I'll tell YOU It's not because l am
philanthropist, for l am not. acte1
from a purely selfish motive. wanted
happiness and nothing else When
closed up my business affairs and took
up civic activity. MI,
"And l have been happy, TOO ne
last seven years have been the best ',l o.
my life, leaving out of consldera'io"
the loss of my brother.
or n he haODX Vet, lOJs
We may have to go back to cotlase'
but that's the way we started, ana we
can look upon life just as Joyfully tnetS
as we did in the big house on Euciiu
avenue.
"They tell me my enemies are plan
ming to bring financial trouble upon me, me:
I'VE been expecting it. There one
r,ietalre I have not made-that of fail
ing to foresee the efforts OF those Wiz 1,'
would like to destroy me if opportunity
%Mv enemies are capable of that.
one may expect nothing else from
special privileges. However, realize
that any other set of men IN the same
circumstances would act the same:
Let them do what they may. Let
them make any sort of attack upon me
that they choose, with whatever sue
cess. and they will find me with
thousand fights left in me- =,
"FIl never give up. l am well ana
strong and confident, and they'll al
ways find me at the front.
Could Have Saved Fortune
..If had been a coward-if had run
away from this fight for the people OF
Cleyeland--I could have saved my Tor
tune and built it up. But l had CHOSEN
nv course, and I did not have any
mind for altering it.
.'The pursuit of mere dollars does
not interest me- 1 suppose l could go
down in Wall street now and make
some money. I have bought and sold
with e. H. Hartman and / suppose
| could go and do it again. But / am
not going to do anything of the sort.
II don't want you to misunderstood
what have been working for as may
or. have not been laboring with
the expectation of being rewarded by
the gratitude of the people. One cam
not count on that. It's the pleasure in
doing work that I like that has kept
me in the fight.
II have never made a single penny
out of the street railway since be-
Continued on Page Two)