The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-20
TOM JOHNSON
GOES BROKE
WHILE MAYOR
Fight Over Cleveland Traction
System Results in His FL
nanciaI Undoing.
WILL HAVE TO ABANDON
EUCLID AVENUE HOUSE
EXPECTS TO KEEP ON FIGHTING
AND ANNOUNCES HIMSELF AS
ONCE MORE A CANDIDATE.


Cleveland. O.. Nov. 1s.-AIayor Tom
L. Johnson. who for years has been
credited with possessing very large
fortune. today announced 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 af-
ford TO keep them His fortune was
wrecked, the mayor declared, by his de-
votion to the affairs of the estate of his
dead brother, Albert, who was heavily
interested in traction properties in the
east.
After AIbert's death a question was
put TO him whether he should resign his
Office us mayor and take up the man
agement of Albert's estate.
Decided to Fight.
II decided that l would not 1 had
entered the night in this city with GER
tain ideals before me. / wanted to fight
privilege and special interests, and l
had already decided TO give up working
for dollars So l concluded 40 stay
right here and do what / could TO help
my brothers children at long distance.
"Why did / choose the course / did?
I'll tell you. It's not because ] am a
philanthropist, for l arp not. | acted
from purely selfish motive. i wanteI
happiness, and nothing else. when I
closed up my business affairs and tc6
up civic activity
And / have been happy, too. The
past seven years have been the best Ct
my life, leaving out Of consideration the
loss of my brother.
Expects to Be Happy Yet.
Il am going to be happy yet. i.on- We
may have TO go back. to cottage. hut
that's the way We started, and we can
look upon life Just as ioyfui as We
did i'm The big house on Euclid avenue.
"They tell me my enemies are plan
ming to bring financial trouble upon ne.
I've been expecting it. There's one
mistake 1 have not made-that of f1il-
ing TO foresee the efforts of those who
would like to destroy me if opportunity
presented.
My enemies are capable of that. One
may expect nothing else from special
privileges However. realize that any
other set of men in the same circum-
stances 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 thou
sand fights left in me
Will Never Give Up.
III never give up. | am we'll and
strong and confident and they'll always
find me at the front.
IF I had been a coward-if / had
run away from this fight for the people
of Cleyeland-I could have saved my
fortune and built it uD. But l had
chosen my course and ] did not .fave
any mind for altering it.
THE pursuit of mere dollars does not
interest me. ! suppose 1 could go down
in Wall street now and make some
money 1 have bought and sold with
F. II. Hartman. and ] suppose ! could
go and do it again. But / am not going
to do anything of the sort
Il don't want you to misunderstood
what / have been working for as
mayor. / have not been laboring with
the expectation of being rewarded by
the gratitude of the people One cannot
count on that, It's pleasure IN DONG
work that ! like that has kept me IN
the fight.
Got No Money Out of Traction.
L have never made a single penny
out of the street railway since l be
came mayor. Nobody else has worked
as hard as /. and / have not drawn a
cent of pay from the Municipal Trac-
ton company as treasurer. / don't
propose to ask a cent for my work In
helping the receivers.
81 have never spent money in poll
ties In no campaign have [ ever paid
more than my assessment. 5000. on the
s., 600 salary of mayor. Sometimes :
have not paid that much in cash, when
the committee has allowed me a Ger
tain amount for the use of my tents.
We have never been in debt at the end
of a campaign but once
When / gave UP active business az
fairs / did 1t because the requirements
of my work did not square my prin-
ciples.
Il suppose I could have taken up q
life of ease when l retired had !
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