The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-05-18

/ shown, that the many murders alleged
! TO have been committed by Mrs. Gun
| ness were unearthed. This is a pic
| ture Of Helgelein.
at night, so that he would not lose
the advantages Of a higher schooling.
John A. Johnson was born in st.
Peter, Mimi. in 1861, while the civil
war was raging. His father and
mother were poor immigrants from
| Sweden who had come to this country
eight years before. Johns boyhood
was unhappy. His father was a
ne'er- do-well who brought restitution
to the family and when only twelve
years old the boy left school to help
support his mother. A few years
later he became her entire support. as
we'll as providing for a brother and
sister.
When he was selected as editor Of
the St. Peter Herald by its owners, he
set to work unhesitatingly, although
he knew no more about editorial work
than he did about prehistoric archae-
ology. His friends lent him the mon
!
He tackled the job and mastered it.
When he was elected state senator,
he did the same thing and he repeated
the action when he took his place in
the state house at St. Paul as the chief
of the state. Those who know him
best have never seen him hesitate over
an act. Always he has seemed to
know, instinctively. the right thing to
do without pulling over the problem.
Gov. JOhnson's first nomination to
office came in 1894 when he was thir-
ty-three years old and had just we'd
ded Miss Gilmore NJ. Preston. He was
then the leading democratic editor in
the state. From being a power in the
newspaper world to being a power in
politics was a natural step and one
that for Johnson, with his energy and
capacity for public service, was inev-
liable. The democrats nominated
him for the state senate. but although
he made a hard fight he was not able
to overcome the republican majority.
Nominated again in 1898. however, he
was successful and in that and the fol-
lowing session of the legislature he
made a record for integrity and ability
that save him the leadership OF his
party in the successful fight for an in
, creased gross earnings tax on the Min
; nesota railways.
The story of his sensational cam
paign for governor in 1904 is we'll
: known. Nominated in the year of the
Roosevelt land slide. he campaigned
. on state issues from one end of the
1 state to another, apd when the votes
e were counted in November it was
S found that he had been elected by the
e safe margin of 5000, although Roose
+ welt swept the state with a plurality
|. of 161 900
S So John Johnson packed his grip
t said goodbye to ST. Peter and the Her
: aid force, told Henry to look after the
job work, and went to St Paul. anC
y there he stayed Johnson grew or
t Minnesota The more the people knew
n of him the better they liked him. He
y didn't do anything spectacular. He
= just sat at his desk in the big state
{ house and attended to the peoples bus
y mess as if the state was a private cor
: poration of which he was the head
!, and the public liked the innovation
/ and the results he got from them. The,
g liked it so much that in 1906 they de
6 decided to keep him right there by Civ
ing him a plurality of 1000 over Cole
his republican opponent. The victor!
was absolutely a personal endorsement
for the balance Of the republican tickle
was elected by handsome p1uralities.
Quietly, but effectively, GOverno
Johnson got out after the big law
breakers with a correspondingly bi!
stick
During the four years he has beer
acting as Governor of Minnesota thu
assessed valuation Of the United
States Steel corporation has been rails
ed from. $50 10000 to 500. 100000
and theSsteels corporation, in lieu of ;
further increase of taxation, is build
ing a $4,000, 600 steel plant in Duluth
Railway rates have been reduced from
ten to thirty per cent. Minnesot;
has secured the two cent railway pas
senger rate. Largely upon his initia
= tive the system of taxation was re
II formed; laws were enacted providin.
for the equitable taxation of sleepin!
car companies: a modern law of mort
gage taxation was passed. Recipro
cal demurrage laws were adopted
while orders of the railroad and ware
house commission were made imme
diately effective.
A free state employment bureau il
the interests of labor was created an
has been conducted with most salts
factory results. An immense system
for the drainage Of swamp lands wa
inaugurated. A law was passed Pre-
viding for municipal ownership of pub
lie utilities. Governor Johnson our
witted the Irvine trust by appealing I
the legislature for authority to SCI
the product Of the state Irvine plan
outside as we'll as within the state A
his suggestion railway passes wer
abolished in Minnesota. while his par
in insurance reform was so significan
that President Roosevelt publicly RET
Lognized him as tbs. leader IN tha ls