Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-09-17
Recent Republican Primary Nom
mates FiIius Hiram W. John
son For Governor and Defeats
Pater Grove [. For Legislature.
By J. A. EDGERToN.

"HE insurgent movement has di-
n vtded at least one family. In
III California Grove L. Johnson,
who has been in congress and
the legislature for eighteen or twenty
years, Is known as a standpatter of
standpatters, yet this year he was de-
feated in the Republican primaries for
denomination to the legislature. In the
same election Hiram w. Johnson, his
son, running as an insurgent, carried
the Republican primaries for governor
by a plurality so large the election
boards are hardly through counting it
yet
Insurgency has been known to divide
fathers-in-law and sons-in-law, but
this is the first conspicuous instance
In which it has estranged father and
Bon- In Massachusetts no one would
accuse Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Of
insurgency. They would as soon
charge political. heterodoxy against Eu-
gene Hale or Nelson w. Aldrich. Yet
the husband of Lodges daughter, the
Hon Gussie Gardner, is one of the
representatives that have been making
life uneasy for Uncle Joe.
Anent the Hon. Nicholas LongwOrth,
mother representative who married
the daughter OF a great man. Theodore
Roosevelt once remarked to Gardner,
~Your father-in-lawa and my son-in-
law do not approve.o of our radicalism."
Pinchot4 Claims Victory.
Roosevelt refused to mix in John
Bon's fight for. governor of California,
but sent Clifford Pinchot, who joyously
made tnsurgentk speeches all over the
state and. seemingly *regards the vic
tory as a personal triumph. Well, it
was big enough victory to be divided
up and still leave glory enough for
ALL" So If Pinchot. wants slice of 1t
johnson probably has no objections.
Rudolph Spreckels. Francis J. he
ney and the LINCOLN Roosevelt league
also claim some small share OF the
credit, since they first selected John
son for the graft prosecutions and
afterward made him the candidate.
Pretty much everybody is happy over
the result, so far as l can judge, ex-
cept Grove L. Johnson. the Southern
Pacific railroad and some of the people
who wanted Heney removed from Of
fee because he ate with his knife.
It must be admitted that Sword
swallowing" is heinous offense, but
the penalty should TT the crime. Fir
ing a man out of a good paying Office
Is going too far. That should be class
ed under the head Of cruel and IN
usual punishment. The worst that
can be hoped for a man who eats with
his knife is that he should cut his
mouth or swallow the knife by mis-
take. AS a matter of fact, those San
Francisco people did not care a hang
whether Heney ate with his knife or
with his fingers. What they really OBJ
1ected to was that he prosecuted the
grafters. And right there is where
Hiram johnson came into the game.
Johnson an Orator.
johnson had been practictnG law in
San Francisco and had arrived at the
point where heSwas called a leading
lawyer" He was effective before
Jury, especially in the line of pathos.
When it came to getting the jury all
worked up Hiram Johnson was there
with the oratory. AS for politics, he
voted any way he pleased. His enc
mics said he registered at the primaries
az a Republican, but usually voted the
Democratic ticket Anyway, he was
Independent and did not try TO conceal
It Likewise he, was against his father
IN politics and did; not try to conceal !
that either Then he was made deputy |
district attorney TO help in the prosecu- |
don Of Schmitz and Ruef, and it was |
the reputation there made that sug- |
gested him as the proper insurgent |
leader.
Again his foes say-what will foes |
not say In politics ?-that he defended |
Dalzen Brown, the bank wrecker. at |
about the same time that he was prose
cutting graft. They also aver that he |
never really brokeFwith his father at |
all 1t might be difficult to convince
Grove L. johnson of that.
Where he is known the elder John
son Is called ''foxy old Grove" In