The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-09-23
A TYNE Of the American.

Marshalltown Times Republican:
Late last night John Johnson, COVER
nor of Minnesota, lay dying In Min
nesota hospital where he had endured
a serious operation. Perhaps as this
is written he is dead and Minnesota
is in deep mourning for the man whom
it honored with it's chief Office despite
his party affiliations and in recogni-
ton Oh his eminent qualities of mind
and soul. Johnson, Democrat, was
big enough, strong enough and honest
enough to be elected and reelected
governor of a staunch Republican
state. He has been honest enough
and wise enough to retain the conf
dence and the high respect OF the best
in both parties. If he died last night
his fame is secure and his place in the
affectionate remembrance of his state
unsuitable.
And yet, as we have been wont to
classify public men, Johnson was not
a great man. he was not construc-
! tive statesman of high order. He was
! to large degree the antithesis of the
| dominant leader of his party whose
rival he was for the last Democratic
nomination. Johnson had evolved no
new and startling theories of govern
ment, he was not an apostle OF dram
atism on the hustings or the lecture
platform. He had no promises of a
complete reversal of society to proffer,
| but he was a capable and honest ex-
ecutive, he stood for the better part OF
government and for needed and evil
dent reform He made good in his
office. not with the gang but with the
people. Perhaps in doing thus he has
given us a better definition of great.
ness in public service. He seems to
have done his public work as he did
the labor of his early boyhood when
he brought nome and delivered the
clothes his mother cleansed in her
wash tub as the price of independence
and self support.
True enough there is great Scan
dinavian vote in Minnesota and John
son held it. That he did so is high
compliment Clannish as the Scan
dinavians are no man of any nation
atty can have the Scandinavian vote
until they are convinced Of his
capacity and his honesty as compared
with his opposition. The Scandinav
ian vote, generally speaking, is the
vote of a sincere citizenship Wher
Johnson won and kept the vote of the
Morse Republicans he furnished wit
ness to his fitness for Office.
Johnson has been type of the pos
sibilities OF American citizenship, a,
much SO as Clay, coming from tbs
slashings of Kentucky wilderness OIL
Garfield trudging along the tow patti
on his way to the presidency and such
immortality as history confers. John
son, carrying back and forth the work
of a mother who took in washing,
and in his success recalling with justi
fable pride and infinite love her la
bors and her care over him becomes &
splendid figure to be admired ant
loved. The possibilities Of the Amer
: lean idea Of popular government are
in his life as 1t passes, beyond the
gates of greater opportunity here t.
: the last and greatest opportunity o
the hereafter His is one of the
biographies that the boys of future
generations snail scan to the awaken
ing of laudable ambition and to tn
profit of the republic.
1t is good that such men hay'
lived. Perhaps it is well that the.
should die in the height of their use
fulness and in the full force of thei
example.