Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-29
FINE TRIBUTE IS
PAID JOHNSON
Y. M. C. A. MEN HEAR STORY OF
MINNESOTA GOVERNOR
DIR. RUDOLPH SCHlFFMAN GIVES
PERSONAL "REMINISCENCES
Annual Banquet of Gym Men Is Held
In the ParIors of the First
Baptist Church In
Pasadena
Especial to The Herald ]


Gym Mems" banquet of the Pasadena
Y. M. C. A. was held this evening in
the parlors of the First Baptist church,
about $50 being present. State Secre-
tary B. B. Wilcox and DIR. Rudolph
Schiffman, police commissioner of Pas
adena, were the principal speakers OF
the evening.
Rev. Alfred Hatcher Smith, pastor of
the First Baptist church. acted as
POSTMASTER. Rev. Leslie r. Learned,
rector of All Saints Protestant church,
spoke in reply to the toast, "The Rela-
tions of the Association to the Home.
Rev. w. c. Hull, new pastor of the
First Christian church, spoke on THE
Relations of the Association to the
Church.
State Secretary Wilcox told the ban
queters about the great work being ac-
complished by the association ana
called on the young men to bend their
energies toward placing themselves on
higher plane.
DR. Schiffman drew a lesson from the
! life of the late Governor John A. john
son of Minnesota, with whom he was
personally acquainted for several years.
He said in part:
Knew Governor Well
"I have been asked to tell of Gov
ernor John A. Johnson of Minnesota
as I knew and found him through sew
eral years of personal acquaintance.
I approach the subject with great re-
luctance because of my appreciation OF
my own shortcomings as an orator and
because the subject is such large one
that in talk of reasonable length 1t
is almost impossible to do 1t 1ustlce.
"On September Il there died at
! n who mad
thrice been the choice of the people
of that state as governor, This man
was mourned by practically all of the
thinking people of the nation, and yet
he was the son Of drunkard and a
woman SO poor that she had to take In
washing for a living.
GLOW was 1t possible that this man,
only 4S years at the time of his death,
a Democrat in one of the strongest
Republican states In the nation should
have achieved all this? The answer is
a sermon on what a man of resolute
will. honesty of purpose and of good
Intentions can ACCOMPLISHING accom-
nj shment of such a man as John A.
johnson.
"Governor johnson came into promi-
nence in 1904, when he was first elected
governor of Minnesota, That year The
! odore Roosevelt carried Minnesota by
a plurality of over 100000, and yet
Johnson, a Democrat, was elected
governor by a plurality of over 5000.
| Two wears later, when there was no
nresidential election to bring out the
strength Of the Republican party, Gov
/ ernor Johnson was returned to office
bv a plurality of over $4,000, and for
/ n third time in 1908, with Minnesota
sweepingly for Taft as president, COY
ernor johnson triumphed at the polls
bv a. vote of 10000 more than his lead
! ing competitor.
Must Have Been a Reason
"There must have been reason for
these things, for these conditions, and
because I knew Governor johnson as
a friend and as an admirer l have been
asked to tell you something of what
7 know of his character, character
which made these achievements pos
sible.
"At the time of his death Governor
| Johnson was an accomplished gentle-
man a careful and wide reader, a
model husband, an educated man with
refined tastes and as honest as the day
was long. Honesty was not hard to
! acquire. but all else that John A. john
son had he had fought for and won,
and the deep lines on his kindly face
showed the marks of battle, battle
in which victory had not always been
easy.
at is scarcely possible to imagine a
I man starting in life with less than
| Governor Johnson had, and right mere
want to strongly bring out the point
that his accomplishments were not IN
, the world of commerce, for this man
who so clearly left his mark upon the
affairs of his state and nation was
never a rich man, save in that he was
rich in the love of friends worth while,
rich in the admiration of his fellow
citizens and respected by even his
varmest political adversarieS. His mis-
sion was to make the world better ana
to do good, and 1t has fallen TO the
share of few men to more completeIy
and nobly live up to such an object
| in life.
"Governor Johnson's father was a
slave to drink, destined to die in the
moor house His mother a good woman
who struggled along with a worthless
/ husband and a large family which she
alone supported. Both father and
mother had been poor Swedish emil
grants.
Delivered Washing for Mother
"As many of their countrymen had
done the Johnsons came to Minnesota,
/ and there John early found his path
was not an easy one. His father in
the poor house, he delivered washing
for his mother. He was scarcely a
dozen years old when he had to leave
school to shoulder the family burden,
and from that, time on his first am
bition was to make it so his mother
need not work. This was his goal, and
he was but a child when by his efforts
he was able to have his mother give
nm the life of drudgery which had
made her prematurely an old woman.
~"Young Johnson took active part in
all the affairs of his little home CITY,
He worked in the drug store, presided
| at mock trials as a judge, served in
the Minnesota national guard, became
a finished public speaker and deep
thinker on political subjects. He mixed
: with his fellow man because he loved
his fellow man, and, in return, his
fellow man loved him. He met on
terms of equality every class, and his
forceful way of putting things showed
the clear, logical mind he had up
builded at the expense of hard work
and sacrifice.
"Johnson was but young man when
his fellow townsmen of st. Peter began