Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-20
TOM JOHNSON BROKE
Saws He's Poor Man Now, but
Full of Fight.
LOST ALL IN TRACTION
Went Through 100000 in Battle
for Cheap Fares.
READY TO START ALL OVER
Will Give UP His Big House for a
Cottage and Run for
Mayor.
READY TO START ALL OvET

|
poor man..
| In these words, the most striking part
of an announcement made by him yester-
| day afternoon that his entire fortune had
been swept away. Mayor Tom L. Johnson
epitomzed the result of his unsuccessful
seven-year struggle to establish three
cent fares in the city of Cleveland. A
few years ago he was reputed to be worth
! S4OOO,OO.
| No man ever fought harder for a
principle. but there was no note of bitter
ness in the not entirely unexpected decla-
ration that his private fortune had finally
| succumbed to the enormous demands
| made upon it. The absorption of his
| bank last Saturday following the failure
of his municipal operation plan and other
reverses that have come recently. fore
| Swallowed yesterdays announcement.
| Il shall vacate my house and sell my
automobiles and other negotiable proper
ty," said Mayor Johnson. We started
| in cottage and will start again in a
cottage. But l shall be a candidate for
| mayor again. 1 have thousand fights
| left in me yet
| They tell me my enemies are planning
| to bring financial trouble upon me. I've
| been expecting it, There's one mistake
/ haven't made-that of failing to foresee
the efforts of those who would like to
destroy me if opportunity presented.
| My enemies are capable of doing that.
One may expect nothing else from special
privilege However. 1 realize that any
| other set of men in the same circum-
stanes would act the same.
Could Have Saved by Cowardice.
IF 1 had been a coward-if 1 had run
away from this fight for the people OF
! Cleveland-I could have saved my fortune
and built 1t up. But 1 had chosen my
| nd 7 mi nd
| altering it,
Il suppose I could go down in Wall
| street now and make some money. I've
| bought and sold with E. H. Hartman,
! and ] suppose / could go and do 1t again.
| But I'm not going to do anything of the
| sort.
| Il have never made a single penny out
| of the street railways since I became
mayor. Nobody else has worked as hard
| as l, and l haven't drawn cent Of pay
| from the Municipal Traction Company as
| treasurer. l don't propose to ask a cent
| for my work in helping the receivers.
Back in my prosperous days l gave
| the home in Euclid avenue to my WIFE 1t
| is hers yet, and she'll own it still, even
| though we can't afford to live in it.
Don't you suppose it will be worth
something to me to have my friends real
ize that l entered the mayors Office
what all that means is worth more to me
than the money I've lost"
His Twenty Years. Fight.
While it is nearly twenty years since |
Johnson first dawned on the political hori-
zon. his campaign for three-cent fare and
other popular municipal reforms has kept
him in the spotlight almost constantly
since 1901. His espousal of these reforms
has gained him an International fame. He
is now serving his fourth term as mayor
of Cleveland. In his first election he
turned over the republican stronghold of
Cuyahoga county. He gained strength at
each succeeding election, and in his last
contest defeated Representative Burton.
who was supported publicly by President
Roosevelt William H. Taft and the fed
eral administration. His remarkable
strength a vote getter has made him
factor in several democratic nationa!
conventions.
In nancy respects he is now and has
been for years one of the most unique
personages in public life. He is a con-
vincing speaker and coiner of cpl
grams. His campaign for mayor always
attracted the greatest attention through
out the country because of his straight
from-the- shoulder speeches.
His first campaign for mayor was
made on a platform which promised
three-cent car fares. To accomplish this
task these are some of the obstacles he
had to overcome: Thirty-nine injunction
suits. legal actions from police court to
the United States Supreme Court three
municipal elections. court decision
which left Cleveland practically without
legislative government for eleven
months. tracks ripped from many streets
and miles of track tied up with restrain
ing orders.
The Cleveland Traction Company fought
him tooth and nail at every turn and
the expenses of the litigation were enor-
nous.
Made Money in Brooklyn.
Before beginning his campaign for
cheaper car fares johnson had amassed
a large part of his fortune in the opera
ton of street railways in Brooklyn. Phil
adelpha and elsewhere
The first three-cent line was operated
in Cleveland in 1907 Gradually the other
lines we're operated on the same basis.
Al first things appeared to run smoothly |
and Johnson was acclaimed as the great
est municipal reformer of his time
Then the Municipal Traction Company
was forced to admit it was losing money.
The rates were increased to cents a
single fare or eight tickets for "a cents.
and from that date dissatisfaction over
the new order of things became general.
To make matters worse the new COM
pany in an effort to retrench cut down
the car service.
Matters had reached this crisis on Oc-
tober % last when a referendum was |
co.