Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1909-09-24

state senator, and some OF the poliLl-l
clans knew him and liked him too. But
he was defeated for re election, being
a democrat in republican district,
and when his party placed him at the
head of the state ticket he was plain
John Johnson, country editor.
q Minnesota's normal republican ma
jority is between 10000 and 10 900.
The democrats had little or no expec-
tation Of electing Johnson. One reason
they picked him for the candidacy was
that he was a Swede and would get.
the Scandinavian vote, which in Min
nesota is a considerable factor. They
hoped he, at any rate, would make
decent showing, and most OF them
would have been satisfied with that.
But Johnson. having accepted the nom
ination, made a systematic campaign.
His opponent, State Auditor Dunn,
was not altogether popular in his own
party. Dunn's unpopularity helped
Johnson, against whose record nobody
had anything to say. Johnson's popu-
larity increased as Dunn's decreased.
Something had to be done for Dunn.
Ten days before election some boom
erang thrower in Minnesota printed
and distributed circular setting forth
that Candidate Jchnson's father had.
been a drunkard and had died in the
poorhouse and that his mother had
taken in washing. You cannot find in
Minnesota today the thrower of this
political boomerang. Most likely he is
and was then an inmate of the asylum
for the insane.
Some supporters of Johnson, too
much excited to know a golden oppor-
tunity when they met it face to face,
were perturbed by this circular and
urged the candidate to make a strong
denial of the statements.
I can't" was Johnson's quiet reply.
Story Quickly Went the Rounds.
The reason he couldn't was that what
the circular said about his parents was
true. A ST. Paul newspaper which
Isupported him sent a staff correspond
ent posthaste to the little town Of st.
HIiatasu1agge anrgs asss ssyls' g
son. The repertorial assignnae ent would ND
have delighted any good neWspaper e
4 man. 1t is not often that reporter ttl
.lstrikes such "human interest colol
1 The story of John Johnson of st. Pete
as published in the st. Paul paper
) quickly went the rounds of the Mime illl1sE
: sofa press; also it went the rounds g
r the corner groceries and the dru
$ stores and the country hotel offices
: where governors are made and pres
dents are prepared from the raw mi
|. terial
l. The st. Paul reporter discovered thi
IT Gustaf johnson, blacksmith, mad eI
a igrated from Sweden about fifty yea
le ago. settling in St. Peter. He M
been heavy drinker in his nati'
xIland and came to America in the hol
at that he might reform. He did refor
10 for a few years. He married Carroll
le Haden, a Swedish girl, also an lm1
fe Grant She was utterly alone in Am
lea. The blacksmith installed her II
in two room house near st. Peter. Fol
ed few wears the brawny arms OF Gus
Johnson earned living for the
ID: and the little one who came, John
yo,i ing the first baby, born in 1861. II
70, REQUIRED an attack Of the old mala
'ho the old disease, which in the syst
s of the. village blacksmith deman
nal alcohol. The blacksmith became
Ids. drunkard. Like many others OF
unfortunate class, he went from
to worse. Finally the local autf
tiles placed him in the poorho
where after some years he died.
-. Mrs. Johnson was left with six
dren to support. John was only tW
ae years old, but he arose to the
,,;tv sion. He insisted upon quitting SC
SO that he might help. He got
in a grocery store. A grocer's boy
no snap as a job, but some OF !
'atic have snap as individuals. John !.
II 70 they probably called him 10
then got $40 a month which he
led over to his mother. He found
,sota To deliver laundry washed and II
edi-E Ebg his mother, his splendid, p
John mother, and also to deliver pape
i ed 1.-THE carriers route--the town /
j 9TH After TWO years Of this grocef''
small life he got a job in the drug stor
aper. slightly higher rate OF pay Fror
lat a time on his mother quit TAXI 81
ad a washing John supp ported the f
,lenty In the years following three 9
hit be little. sisters died, and John Jo
1, n