The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1909-09-24

DDS that made Johnnie Johnson lead
or among the young men, of st. Peter
and made editor. Johnson q leader
among the older people, a few years
later. He began travelling through
out the country on the Chautauqua
circuit making his strongest appeal
through the south, which section was
more or less dissatisfied with both
elements in the party. He went
among. the people as John johnson the
governor and not as John johnson, a
political aspirant.
He talked to them of his policies
along lines that the people at large
We're pleased with and on topics en-
t'rely foreign to political matters.
The result was the same as it had
been in his earlier years at home.
Everyone who heard him became his
friend and spoke of him as friend
and acquaintance and felt that they
knew him and sympathized with him.
Mr.. .Johnson's friends and managers
began to organize his boom in most
tangible shape during the summer of
| 1908. but the governor was wise, as
| ne had been once before. when he re-
fused a nomination for state senator.
| Foresaw Bryans Reformation.
He saw, when Mr. Bryan returned
from his trip around the world, that
his denomination was inevitable, and
he realized that to oppose him was to
only hurt his own chances for flu
tue nomination by alternating the
Bryan supporters. For this reason he
permitted merely nominal demon
stratlon and received at the Denver
convention small. although enthus-
iastic. support. He accepted the third
nomination for governor and went on
making the strongest campaign he
could for Mr.. Bryan, as we'll as for
himself, and the result was shown
when it was seen that Mr.. Taft was
able to carry the state by only $4,000,
or barely one-half of Roosevelts ma
jority of two years previous.
Since the election Governor Johnson
has made several chautauqua tours
through the central west, in which he
was as enthusiastically received as
before. His career began to attract
the attention of magazine editors,
after his second election. and the arti-
cles that have been published about
him have tended materially to in
crease his prestige. At the time of
his death he was regarded as the
most probable candidate for the dem
ocratic nomination for president in
1912.
| His Political Greed.
His political creed is summed up in
an address made in the summer of
1907 before the University of Pennsyl-
vania. He expressed himself as hat
Ing trusts and tariffs, standing for
more complete railway regulation
against permanent colonial positions
and more definite adjustment of
state and federal powers and partial
adherence to public ownership. His
strongest opinions were on the tariff
and in magazine article written in
1908 he said, "Of the political issues
which stand out before us today,
believe the tariff question to be para
mount. The present tariff system Ii
an established falsehood, which ever
the makers and maintainers of the
system have been forced to admit
and have decided, publicly at least
that the tariff must be revised.
What their plans may be we arr
left to Judge from the fact that this
is not their first such public decision
and in spite of their former promises
their continuation in power ha.
brought no changes. do not advo
cate free trade; the time may come
when our country is as thickly pop
ulated as are the nations of Europe
when uninterrupted interchange OF
commodities will be not only desir.
able but necessary. That time is not
yet, but our present tariff system is
an absolute contradiction of the be.
| niflcant proofs of democracy and of
equal rights upon which our govern
ment is founded and our experience
has been such that securing promises
that the system will be altered after
the election will not suffice.
4 Was An IdeaIist.
Mr.. Johnson's personal character
was considered exceptional. He was
an idealist. This was his greatest,
strongest and his most desirable at
tribute and 1t caused him to attract
the delighted interest of Henry Wat
4 terson of the Louisville Gourier.Jour-
nal and made him public sponsor for
Thomas w. Lawson. Big ideas and
large movements appealed to him with
Irresistible force and he was more sue
cessful in his attitude towards things
as q whole than in minor details.
His profound and instructive devo-
tion to spiritual things was shown in
his 1907 Thanksgiving proclamation
in which he said: ...In the great civic
awakening. in the regeneration Of the
public conscience. we have reason
for belief that il the day that is dawn.
ling there will be less worship 81 self,
less love OF power. less lust Of gold,
land that we return to honesty and
only good will lead and We win go
/ Inevitably ito the walk Of virtue. the