Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-09-25
Real Journalist With a Real Job.

Real Journalist With a Real Job.
After nine years in the drug store
John Johnson became a journalist. In
the cities a journalist is sometimes de-
scribed as a newspaper nan out of a
job. In st. Peter John Johnson was
a real journalist with a real job, pay
ing for a half interest in the Herald.
for which friends who believed in him
had put up the money. Johnson had
paid off the undertaken. He had bought
In the two room family homestead,
which was about to be sold for taxes.
improvements.
SO this was the story discovered by
the st. Paul reporter. 1t was so mag
%nificently true that American Mime
sofa arose gloriously to the occasion.
President Roosevelt carried the always
Republican state of Minnesota by a
majority of 161, 462-a hundred thou
sand above the normal majority. But,
hold. John Albert Johnson, Democrat.
was elected governor by a majority of
1880. Not a very large majority that,
and yet he turned s4.400 votes to get it.
The country editor closed down his
desk at st. Peter, probably saying to
Henry Essler: I'll be back In two
years. Try to keep the subscribers Ia
line. and don't let the ads. get away
from you. Keep the jobwork going"
Then he went to work at his new
job In st. Paul, his Office being in Min
nesota's fine new state capitol build
ing. Did Johnson as governor of a
great state pose as a sickly sentimen-
tai friend of the common peepul?"
Not a bit of it-uot he. Johnson made
no pretense of being ultra democratic.
He wore good clothes. the prevailing
style. and cut just as dignified a figure
ut a g~ubernatorial reception as he had
cut In the editorial sanctum at st. Pc
ter. He had sense enough to adapt
himself to his environment.
He Made Good.
johnson also had the moral and men
tai backbone to make him Johnny-on-
the-spot with his new job. He had
had no experience as an editor when he
took hold of the st. Peter Herald. But
he made good. He made good also
as governor of Minnesota. DO you
want proof Then read the election
returns of 1906. Normally the Repub-
lican candidate should have won by
about 10000 majority. AS a matter
of fact, Johnson won by T2.000 major
ity. Somebody asked how he did II"
II only tried TO make good" replied
johnson.
No boomerang was thrown in the
second campaign. If Johnson had not
made good in his two years term as
governor he would have been sent
back 10 the st. Peter Herald Office.
The washerwoman circular promulgat-
ed by the unidentified asylum inmate
made him governor. but as governor
he made good himself. Those years
of struggle. of self placement. of moth
er love and brotherly devotion in st.
Peter gave him the stamina TO make
good. When some one asked him what
he considered the most important re-
suit of his administration as governor,
he replied
"Law enforcement. We have brought
about conditions by which the state Of
icers obey the law themselves and en-
force it,"
Made Tax Dodgers Vince.
But Governor Johnson did not stop
at enforcement Of the laws on the
statute books. BY his influence he
brought about the enactment Of new
laws TO meet conditions. One thing he
him a board of tax equalizers. John
son appointed three OF the best men
in the state. Under the law this board