The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-10-09
UNREPORTED SPEECH
BY the Late Governor johnson At
Washington, D. c.

BY the Late Governor johnson at
Washington, D. c.
Governor John A. Johnson had the
unusual experience Of being the pos
SCISSOR of presidential boom that was
started by speech that was never re-
ported, says the Baltimore News.
The effect of that unreported
speech was greater than that of many
more pretentious speeches that have
leading figure in the democratic party,
aside, OF course. from Bryan, and led
to train of events that might have
brought him to the White House in
1912-had he lived. There is no paral-
lei to 1t in political history, the near
est being Abraham Lincoln's unre-
ported speech in 1856, which made him
Immediately the central figure Of west
ern republicanism.
At this time, while there was lack
adaisieal. apathetic, listless movement
for Gray or johnson or Harmon Or
anybody, the Gridiron club of Wash
ington invited Governor Johnson,
Judge Gray and many other national
leaders to attend one of it's dinners
in Washington. The governor and the
judge were among those who accepted.
There was only languid interest in
the governor when he took his place,
not at the head of the table but at one
of the side tables, and attacked the
Gridiron viands.
There We're $50 guests present the
president of the United States at their
head, supreme court, senate house, the
money kings of the country, generals
adnnirals. authors, scientists. governors
Judges among those present. Ia
the course of the evening-rather EAR
down the evening-the governor was
introduced.
The Gridiron always introduces lis
SpSonSA ., AAOS VIVA d SpCOCGl, OOI WALL y
song, usually addressed to the prospec-
tive speaker. and gently derisive Of
him. In this case they sang sons
entitled Poor john" the burden of
which was that poor John"-that Is,
Johnson-wanted the nomination. but
couldn't have it, because Bryan
wouldn't let him.
The governor arose. Before he had
said word his merry, twinkling eyes
and the genial, friendly face had belief
every photograph ever sent out about
him, and the deep, warm voice that
rang out in his first sentence with
strange and happy infection that mace
everybody warm to him made over
John A. Johnson, made him over COM
pletely in second of time, to those
who thought they knew what he WAS.
Poor John?" he said. Il appre-
ciate the honor; but don't you think,
when you look back at 1896. at 1900
and at 1904, you ought to say Pour
Bill?
The unexpectedness of it set the
crowd wild. The president, the speak
err of the house, the justices of the su.
prenne court, all united in one mighty
shout that lasted a minute johnson,
looked out over the shouting crowd
with eyes that danced.
He was so utterly different from
what his ill-advised press agents had
represented him. Tall, straight, with
a sensitive, mobile face that changed
in expression every second, he was AS
fine looking and striking in appearance
as ever was seen in a dinner htil
despite the libelous photographs Of his
press agents. His mellow voice, full
of unexpected depths and shadows, and
always so calculated as to bring out to
the uttermost every meaning that lay
behind one Of his sentences, may not
have been the voice Of an orator, but
no orator could have made such an
impression on that crowd.
And remember. it was not the
ordinary mass-meeting audience. 1t
was made up, that crowd Of fifty, Of
men to whom oratory was their daily
bread; men who heard it daily in the
holfaA aud senate
1t 10 wholly within bounds to say
that no such hit was ever made before
that audience-which is pretty much
the same from year to year-as John
A. johnson made that night.
The matter Of that speech has es-
capped from the mind of the writer.
He recalls one occasion when Johnson.
in the midst Of . keen, clever eulogy'
Us Z ~