The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-02
BEN JOHNSON OF KENTUCKY
By SAY 0YARD

Washington, August 1.-(special) )-Im- medlately or remotely every man, wom- an and child in the United States is a taxpayer. and all of them to the utter most parts of the republic are interested in Ben Johnson, chairman of the com mittee on the District of Columbia, Six ty-second Congress. I will say at the out set that all the soldiers of the Uinted States army cannot intimidate him, all the money in the United States treasury cannot corrupt him, and all the lawyers in Philadelphia cannot cajole him. He has red blood in his veins, and when boy he was raised on'' red ham gravy and corn bread. Certainly he is from Nelson county and was born and reared in the near vicinity of Bardstown.
 For more than 100 years there has been at least one of Johnston's family lead ing citizen of Nelson county, and thus of the cream of Kentucky citizenship. If the head of tthe family happens to be named William, he calls his eldest son Ben, and Ben in turn calls his eldest son William. Perhaps the greatest man of the clan was an ancestor of the pres ent congressman, who freighted tobacco to New Orleans when Louisville. now the most extensive tobacco market in the
 world. was a village. In those days 8 trip to New Orleans from the Ohio val | ley was an adventure, attended witt
 even more danger than profit, and botf
 the prospect of gan> and the hazard oi
 life allured our old pioneer, who was
 gifted with great physical strength, and
 reveled in robust physical health while
 his heart was crowded with the most au-
 dacious and sternest resolution. His
 were thrilling adventures.
 William Johnson father of the present
 representative from the Fourth district
 whence hailed Proctor Knott, was lead.
 ing lawyer of Kentucky. In his youth he
 had been associated with Ben Hardin in tie practice at Nelson har, when numbers considered, the Nelson bar was the strongest in America-Hardin, Wick Jeff. Hays, Chapese, Rowan, Guthrie and others scarce less able than even these giants For half century Bardstowr
 was the Athens of the Mississippi valley It was the seat of St. Joseph's college
 the leading institution of learning west
 of the Allegheney mountains. It was g
 village, but the greatest minds and tho highest culture of all Kentucky were found there.
 | The father of Ben Johnson served many years in the state senate of Kentucky and for double decade he was tn, | chief law-giver of the state. He revised the statutes of the commonwealth and fol
 such labor he was perhaps the bes
 equipped man not only in Kentucky bu in the republic. He had wonderfully
 clear head and his industry was cease
 less But his leading characteristic wal irmness of resolution He was also noted
 for his grateful heart, that never forgo | a kindness nor allowed 1t to go unre
 quilted. When he was old and had re
 tired from active practice, he was con
 stanty consulted by the leading lawyer:
 of Louisville, Andy Barnett, John Ma son Brown, John Barnett, Isaac Caldwell
 and others of that ilk.
 Ben Johnson was born in 1858 and wa! | educated at St. Joseph's and at sJt . Mary's. At % he was graduated from tn law department of Kentucky uniVersit, at Louisville, and was immediately calle, to the bar, opening a law office a | Bardstown. Even then he was a success full business man. and even if he had no been born with silver spoon in hi mouth he would have accumulated
 handsome fortune early in his manhood In 1885 Johnson entered politics. ant defeated q veteran for the democratic nomination for the state house of rep resentatives. Two years later he was re elected and became speaker of the bod,
 ere he was 30 and perhaps he is the youngest man ever chosen to that dignity At the close of the term he retired iron politics and devoted himself to law anc business and was emlnently succesfu in both walks.
 In 1893 President Cleveland appointed Johnson collector of internal revenue fo, the Louisville district. the largest in tn, state. While a strong partisan, he rar the office on strictly business principles and it's record was among the best in tn, entire country. But he is a born bus ness man, and even before he was 30 h. was in close business relations witt Milton Fl. Smith president of the Louis vile and Nashville railroad, and John M Atherton, perhaps the ablest and mos | successful business man Kentucky eve produced. After he left the collectorshil he attended closely to the managemen of his now large personal interests an, was recognized as one of the leading cap italists of the state but the poitica bee again got into his bonnet. and in 190 | he was elected to his fathers old seat il II the state senate. As chairman of tn I democratic campaign committee he con II ducted the successful campaign of 1908 Il In 1906 he resigned his seat as senate |! and was elected a member of the Sixtiet I Congress, of which body he has been Il member ever since.
 II Over the protest of some very prominen