New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-06-28
LIFE STORY Of TON JOHNSON;
POOR BOY TO MILLIONAIRE

with Mr.. George. bought a summer
residence near the latter's home in
Brooklyn and close friendship be-
tween the two existed until Mr..
Georges death. Johnson gave much
money and made many speeches for
the furtherance of the single tax the.
DRY.
How Johnson got Progress and
Poverty" Incorporated into the Con.
gressional Record was one Of the clev.
crest coups ever turned by politician.
By arrangement with several other
congressman favorable to single tax
he had whole chapters Of the book In.
corporated in speeches. and by virtue
Of congressmen's postal franks hun.
dreds Of thousands of these copies
were mailed to voters throughout the
country.
Some Incidents In Johnson's Lite.
At the age of fourteen Tom Johnson
became an Office boy at 81 q week in
the foundry Of T. G. Coleman at Lou.
isville, Ky. He swept the Office, ran
errands and picked up scraps that were
in other peoples way. B. du Pont OF
the family of powder makers was part
owner of the foundry. One day he
saw the lad rush out Of the Office into
the street, pick up a bit Of iron and
return with it to the foundry scrap
heap.
"Why did you do that?" inquired
Du Pont.
"Why. SIR" replied the boy, "there
was no use wasting it. They can put
It In the furnace and use 1t over
again"
Du Pont thereupon gave johnson a
place with him in the street car bus1'
ness at 81 week.
In those days each passenger drop
ped his fare into a box on the street
car, and at certain points the money
was taken from the box by employees,
called drawers. One Of the rules OF
the company required the drawer to
deposit each sack Of money In the or
iice safe and close the door Of the safe.
No one but the drawers had access to
the room. and they carelessly got into
the habit of dropping their sacks upon
the floor Of the room until evening,
when all were put into the safe at
once.
One day the chief drawer was sick,
and Johnson was sent to take his place.
he read the rules carefully, and after
drawing the money from his 6rst car
he bounded upstairs, put the sack In
the safe and slammed the door.
"What are you doing that forT' de-
manded the bookkeeper.
"Because the rules say &c." said Tom
over his shoulder as he rushed out to
catch another car.
After this had happened a dozen
times the bookkeeper began row, de
claring that Johnson's action was
reflection on the Office mans honesty
Mr.. Du Pont happened to drop In IN
the midst Of the dispute, when John
son explained that he was merely obey
ing the rules. He was made CHIEF
drawer on the spot, and at the age OF
seventeen became superintendent OF
the road.
An incident occurred while johnson
was member Of congress IN 1881
which showed that, while as a bus1'
ness man he would take advantage OF
the favoritism Of his government, as
n citizen and politician he would tight
privileges as economically unjust
Johnson at the time was owner Of a
steel mill. He startled his colleagues
by moving that the duty on steel rails
be removed. Mr.. Dalzell, the Republic
an leader, interrupted to ask If John'
son as producer were rot bene'
fciary Of the duty on steel ralls:
Johnson replied that as member OF
congress he represented not his NILS
but his constituents.