Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-04-11
Ex-Mayor Dies After Long
Struggle With
Disease.
WAS NATIONAL FIGURE
Leading Men Pay Tribute to
His Memory-Funeral
Will Be in Brooklyn.

Cleveland, Ohio, April 11-An
Cleveland today is mourning the
death Of Tom L. Johnson. which Oc-
CURED last night. Arrangements are
being made for a public memorial.
The body will lie in state probably on
Wednesday.
MANY TRIBUTES PAID.
! Scores OF kilograms of coincidence
and paying tributes to the worth of
Johnson are pouring in from promi-
nent men from all parts of the coun-
| try. Tributes paid him include:
Governor Harmon-"A more hon
est man than Mr. Johnson never liv-
/ ed"
! Mr.. Bryan:-"No man in past gener-
alton did more effective work for peo-
| pie than Tom l.. Johnson"
! Mayor Gaynor, of New York-"The
country at large has lost one of its
greatest assets-a man who fought for
good government"
FUNERAL IN BROOKLYN.
The funeral will be held in Brook
! lyn, y. Y, Thursday. There will be
public services.
Clevelands only opportunity to pay
tribute TO the former mayor viii come
! Wednesday afternoon when the body
will be taken from the Johnson family
residence to the station to be sent
10 Brooklyn.
I'LL FOR 4 YEAR.
Cleveland, April 11.-Tom l..
Johnson, former mayor Of Cleveland
and known throughout the nation
| for his fight for 3 cent street car
fares. died here last night at S:45
! o'clock of cirrhosis of the liver. lie
had been ill for over a year, but had
been confined to his bed only since
March 10.
MIR. Johnson was at one time a
multimillionaire, ana by his own
confession, a monopolist But II is
as the mayor of Cleveland that he
will be remembered by the people
of the United States long after the
other phases of his career are for
gotten. He was pronounced by Lin
coin Steffens the best mayor Of the
best governed city in the United
States"
SON OF COTTON PLANTER.
Oul ldlnclf <ilDtll W
Johnson, at the start OF the civil
war was cotton planter with more
than 100 slaves at Beaver Bayou,
Ark. and a summer home at George
town. KY, where July IS, 1854, Tom
L. was born. The end of the war
found him stranded at Staunton, Va.
with scarcely dollar he could call
his own.
It was there and at that hour that
Tom Johnson first became a monopo-
list The family needed money to
get back to Arkansas. To obtain this
money and obtain It quickly the boy.
then only IL years of age. entered
into an agreement with the con
ductor of train entering Staunton
daily by which he obtained the sole
privilege OF selling all the papers
that the train carried. In a few
weeks his monopoly netted him $88.
BEGAN TO PROSPER.
Johnson prospered in a financial
way and bought a small traction in
terest in indianapolis which he did
not hold long
In 1880 Johnson bought a small
street car line in Cleveland There
were six or seven other lines in the
city put the newcomer unuerBtOOn
the advantage Of through routes and
transfers, and he forced his compel
itors to sell out TO him or to imi-
tate him. Johnson's great compet-
itor at this time was Mark Hanna.
In the war between the two fares
were steadily reduced and the ser
vice improved. Finally Johnson dis
posed Of his interests and the Big
Consolidated was united with Han
mas company.
Two years before going TO Indian
apolis Mr.. Johnson married his
fourth cousin. Margaret J. Johnson.
The couple had two children. Loftin
r. and Elizabeth r. Johnson.
INTEREsTED ~ POLITICS.
Up TO this time Mr.. Johnson had
taken no part I'm politics. One day
be bought from a newsboy on a train
a copy of Henry Georges Social
Problems" He became deeply in
terested in the work and then read
Progress and Poverty"
The last naned book made him
and an ardent admirer
of Henry George.
Johnson met George, who urged
him earnestly to take an active in
terest in politics in his own state.
Johnson fought for and secured the