The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-09-29
GREAT FTNANCIERS
PAYS TRIBUTE TO
GREAT SPOKESMAN
Message of Famous Boston Lawson
Characteristic of Both Men VINO
Were Great Friends.

Yesterday and yesterdays when the
suns red-brown halo blended my
hollyhocks and sunflowers to nodding
evening goods, he used to loom a
soulful, heart-loving inspiration. From
nv gardens twilight quiet l have Of
ten visoned him, this tall swaying
pine of the west, and the visioning
people my world with times and
things and men long, long since dead
and dust, and these times and things
and men glowed the heart and
soothed the soul and clarified the
mind and made for love of good and
for shame of petty meanness and sor-
did hatred.
When | say this | linn the man.
No human ever entered the atmos-
phere of John Johnson without being
better. He was indeed a man, a
made-in- the image Of-his-GOd man.
Wives looked upon his wife and bless
ed him; mothers gazed upon his moth
err and prayed their sons might be in
his mold; and the children and the
dogs and the flowers and Gods good
earh beamed and laughed and warm
ed when his presence came.
Such a Good Man.
All! But he was such a man, such
good man. | saw him on the field,
in the tent, and in the orchards,
where the great, ripe juicy golden
plums of man-wealth hung low and
vainly screamed for plucking, and L
sat with him by the hour in his Of
flee of state while his mind romped in
freedom and his long legs crossed
and uncrossed themselves over the
| corner of the desk upon which the
freemen of a great western empire
laid honor-o offering.
/ have ridden with him the hot
days through, in the dusty, nerve
racking railroad train, and I've been
with him when he listened to the feal-
ty message of the leaders of his party
which cooed about that crown and
throne which is the dream of all red
blooded Americans; and I've brought
him the taunt of his great rival, and
yet in all / never once saw that child
ish merry twinkle leave those wonder
fully love-begetting eyes and l never
heard a discord in that voice of trust
and faith and charity and good will
to all. All! But he was such a man.
such a good man.
John Johnsons vision was all out
ward. He was no mirror and had he
one he would have held it to reflect
the beauties and the goodnesses of his
| fellows,
Story of a Boy.
The other evening Erman Ridgeway
his good wife, and myself were in the
bus with this great man on our way
| to hear him lecture. We'd had a iolly
COED dinner and he was snuggled into
the corner muffled in his big fur Goa
and we thought he wanted to be alone
to tell over his great speech, when as
he neared the place where his lectur,
was to be delivered, he said I'm
nervous tonight, Lawson, for Pm go.
ing to make my lecture the simpl,
story of how I pardoned a boy an6
gave him back to his old mother anC
father. ! want you to hear 1t, but
know I'll cry and make a country
BOBBY of myself and then these east.
ern people will wonder what nv grea
state was thinking of in electing such
a governor"
Twas a big audience, big in intelli.
Rence, big in sympathy with this latter
day Abe Lincoln of the people,; ant
Governor Johnson told his story and
the tears trickled down his cheeks ant