The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1909-10-02
THE TENDERFOOT PRAISES
EXEMPLARY LIFE OF DECEAS-
ED GOV. JOHN A. JOHNSON
There Is An Especial Reason For the Organization Of
the Tucumcari Fair No Town In the Southwest Is
Surrounded BY Richer Farming Country.


There II something deeply inspiring
In the lesson brought home by the
passing ~ Governor John A. johnson
OF Minnesota last week. No man has
attained to such prominence In Amer
lea and d ed leaving a name so free
ON itterness, OF whom people OF sl
parties were 80 generous In their praise.
There IN wholesome reason for II.
n very sane reason for u. The man un.
spoiled. II IL not often that man
raises 10 such heights without getting
the swellcd head, M witness the brill.
liant Senator Beveridpc, or exposing
himself TO the accusations Of delin.
quency, rs witness Joe Bailey. Even
the great Bryan, whose purity OF per
sonal character has never been justly
questioned has not been so fortunate
AZ TO the political equation, because
Of his colossal political eRotism, not TO
say despotism. There was none Of that
with johnson, although he rose to that
point where his nomination for the
presidency, the highest honor that can
he paid to an American. was favored
at the last national convention, and II
Il had been given, history might have
been given n different trend. johnson
hegap his career as n poor Swede, born
In this country to he sure, hut never
thcless q Swcde, his parents having
moved 20 Minnesota from the old coun'
try sometime before. His father was
n blacksmith and tho family was large.
At the age Of twelve the boy was
forced 10 leave school and go 20 work
to help support the family. For years
thereafter il was n bitter struggle, but
johnson was embittercd. He fought on
working with a keen delight that makes
work n sacrament, all Of the while read
ing, always reading, anything and ev'
cry thing that he could get his hands
on. Indulging in no fool notions that
the world owed him a living, he pro
ceeded to collect what was coming to
him In the privilege Of life and be-
licving the world his friend, with the
result that IL was his friend. His re-
sultant life is u splendid lesson Of what
the poor hoy can accomplish, who re-
alizcs that his career largely depends
upon himself and how naturally and in
dustriously he takes hold OF the hand
les. The newspapers Of the land irres'
pective Of politics now tell Of 1t as Of
few public men.
Nor II there anything at all sPectac
ular about the life Of Johnson. II Is
altogether one Of steady plodding, Of
sticking TO IL. His first step into pub
lie life came when he became editor
Of the village paper, the st. Peter Her
aid. II was the parting Of the ways.
The bright young Swede had a nat
ural gift for public speaking, and men
Of that sort are always getting a bid
at the public gatherings Of rural life.
Young johnson accepted them all, was
undeniably pleased when he was call
ed upon. II helped his knowledge OF
English, Il advertised his paper, and
best Of all helped him to get acquaint'
ed with everybody in the country. In
a few years he knew practically every
body in the Legislative district Always
n democrat he ever stood for something
worth while. In ten years after he
entered politics he was elected governor,
In that year President Roosevelt ear
ried the state by plurality OF 1907
600; johnson, a democrat, was elected,
by a plurality Of eight thousand. In
this campaign Il Is said of him that he
spoke In seventy four counties, and new
er attacked his opponents or indulged In
personalities. The people Of the state
were learning to love and respect John
son, az had the people Of his home
town. Two years later johnson was
reelected governor by the plurality OF
77,OO0 the largest ever given gov
srnor In Minnesota. Last year (pres'
idential) with a plurality Of $4,000 for
Taft, johnson was elected governor
q third time by the plurality Of 10000.
American history has no parallel Of such
a record. II was ali owing to the per
sonal character Of Johnson, and the
fact that he stood for something worth
while. steadily, good .humoredly, persis
tentiy. Defeated, he smiled, studied
n bit 10 find ont where his mistakes
had been, and went e er II again
Each time he gained little, until he
accomplished his purpose at last. Ills
greatest reform was in the tax system
OF the state. After that, was the reg
ulation Of the carriers, which for years
had had Minnesota by the throat. He
succeeded in inaugurating a system OF
drainage that redeemed thousands OF
scres Of rich swamp lands that had be
fore ,men useless except for the lumber
On IL, and that gotten wi.p difficulty
lie stopped the deproditions Of lumber
"n state lands, not hesitat'ng TO mis
it with Senator Khute Nelson, a eoun
tryman of hir TO whom W. owe mue
of tho delsy 20 statehood. He succeed
81 In a raj ,ai reform Of tho great IN
suruncc companies doing business IN
thst state, which had go' TO the
point where they imagined they owned
the whole works, aud could do with the
people about as they pleased. Man,