The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1909-10-01

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JOHN N: A. J. JOHNSON
Has Lie Story Written Up By For
mer Associate Man Of Humble
Origin and Bright Future
Blythe death of Governor John
A. johnson, of Minnesota, the
country has lost the most lumin.
ous personality that the new West
has produced . said W. B. Hem
messy, who was an associate of the
late governor of Minnesota in the
legislature and who was intimate
ly acquainted with Governor john
sons political beginnings. Mr..
Hennessy, who is now writing the
:shistory Of North Dakota for the
Tribune, was managing editor of
the st. Paul Globe at the time Of
dead executives entrance upon the
broader field of political life, had
much to do with shaping the pub
lie estimate. of the new man from
st. Peter; he was the first bio
grapher, the writer Of that article
in Success magazine which focus
sed the eyes Of the nation upon
the stricking personality Of the
man who accomplished the re-
markable feat Of winning 157, 1000
republican votes in his first CUB.
ernatorial campaign.
.sThe West has not hitherto pro-
duced a man who represented in.
himself the genius Of q people but
one generation removed from the
pioneer and the immigrant, and
whose Americanism was Of such q
wholesome and substantial charac-
ter as TO compel the admiring re-
gard of Millions continued Mr.,
Hennessy. "Fhe meteorio career
Of Governor johnson covered but
five years, starting with his cam
paign for the governorship in 1904
and closing while he stood outas q
presidential possibility, beloved of
tho people, and admired by the
politicians as being at once safe,
sound and possessing a vote-get-
ting capacity that OVERRIDE politi-
cal lines and threw down all bar
riers, liza; 3
,..He. was not a profound politi-
cian=-though like all successful men
before the people, he knew how to
profit by the practice Of political
science. There has not been man
in public life III this country who
cared less for political power than
Gov. johnson who went into a
campaign with more vigor, when
he was once committed to it. /,
in common with many others, re-
garded him as man Of destiny
for the reason that he developed
his great facility 4 for saying the
right thing at the right time and
saying it as most right-thinking
men wanted it said, instantaneous
" upon his entry into public life.
He was an opportunist in the best
sense as Theodore Roosevelt was
and he never cheapened the
cause he espoused by looking for
the applause Of the. public. The
nobility and courage Of the man
found brilliant expression at the
close of the last Legislative session
when he vetoed the tonnage tax
bill in the face Of the certainty
that political demagogues would
use it against him. The economic
principals which led him to defy
criticism proved to be so absolute
~ sound that his enemies were
disarmed and even Bryan found it
an unsafe point Of attack. !.
! know v Of no life story which 80
directly points the possibilities for
the young man Of the west as that
of Governor johnson. He was
born into poverty, the con Of .
Swedish emigrant blacksmith,
whose unfortunate appetite for
drink threw the burden Of the
family hpon . noble woman Of the