The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1911-03-15
Joe johnson.

b. Williams in Roanoke Times

Voo OOhhDoh vi oooIh SbiOhhhb 10
said to be slated for chairman of the
important house committee on manu-
features. He is o man Of whom we
rarely hear, but no is a man who ar
rives. When he starts for place he
Is likely to get there somehow or an
other and sooner or later, but always
by straight way. He represents one
of the prettiest. sweetest. simplest lit
tie romances Of American politics.
He was an orphan boy, working for
his living on a farm In Laurens coun-
ty. OF good clean strain yeoman stock
Thirty-fve years ago, when he was
about 16. he made up his mind that
he would be member of congress.
He worked and scufiied his way right
through Erskine college somehow and
studied law and passed an eXamina-
ton. He is not brilliant man or
great orator, but his brains are as
solid and clear as crystal. In 1890
he began to train for his purpose. 1t
| was the year of the big Tillman up
rising in South Carolina. Almost any
man could get anything then by just
hitching on to Tillman, and 1t was po-
litical death and apparent destruc-
tion fer any man to stand against Till
man. Johnson did not follow Tillman
and was too much of man to pre-
tend to do it, He stood with the mi
nority and went down with 1t.
| In 1894 he was defeated again, and
/ In 1896, and again. we believe, in
| 1898. He ran for congress like man
hoeing corn-methodicall. steadily,
never missing lick or falling into
any false motion. Precinct by pre-
cinct. family by family, he made his
canvasses Everywhere he talked
plain, honest. homely common sense
and reason in plain. honest, homely
way. and almost voter by voter he won
the confidence of the people. He had
married country girl and she stood
by him and was as determined to see
him in congress as he was to be there.
/ She made butter and sold it. and she
| kept poultry and sold eggs. Joe plod-
ded along at the law between cam
/ paigns, supporting his family. and at
the beginning of each campaign the
cheerful, busy, confident little wife
had a few hundred dollars put away
ready to help toward the expenses. If
! we recollect correctly, Joe landed in
/ 1900, carrying the district by good,
strong majority, never any fireworks,
never abusing any other candidate,
Just convincing the voters that he was
led and knew public affairs and what
he was talking abouI-all Of which is
true.
After ten years OF defeat the farm
BOYS dream and purpose were real
lied. The day Johnson was sworn In
his wife was there to see and she was
the happiest and proudest woman In
the Union. She was witnessing a tri-
umph III which she had full part,
the crowning of an ambition she had
shared Loyalty, the achievement OF
man she had helped make. Now there
Is not much use in anybody opposing
Johnson. He works his district and
does his work in the congress In the
same old corn hoeing way-steadily,
surely, faithfully. He does not make
many speeches, but he attends to his
business. The people of his district
always know just where he, - anu
why On his committees hi/ u'''se"'e
and hard sense and ca,.-.dl, conscien-
tious study of evem question MAKE
him useful andy.sin for him conn
depcc and gocS will, He has been
80, o,.o,.. foot OF road i'll the district
a,,, ,,,ows every r.. f. ID. route and
-. ,seds and how to talk to the post
department about it. He has
elected every time as regularly
lockwork and has ten years OF
ries to offset those former ten
of failure The chances are he
continue to go back to the house
lever lose his head moment. 1t
so a strong chance that within
leXt 10 years he will be pretty
up in the committees and have
is district a stronger hold than
you have trouble in getting rid
ur cold you may know that you
OF treating 1t properly. There is
,ason why a cold should hang