The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-11-24
HIRAM w. JOHNSON,
A PEOPLES SENATOR


A little over six years ago a short
pudgy man, clean shaver, came for
ward in California as a candidate fol-
Governor. Although the son of man
who, as a member of Congress and in
other capacities, had been and was the
spokesman of Southern Pacific Rail.
way interests, the newcomer gave
vigorous utterance to views against
that corporations domination. Peo-
pie were 10th to believe that the son
of Grove L. johnson could be serious
in his opposition. The late Robert j
Burdctte, preacher and former para
grapher, expressed a quite general
opinion when he quoted against the
candidate the Biblical query: "Can
any good come out of Nazareth ?"
But Hiram w. johnson carried on a
campaign in his own way, regardless
of sneers, and made a platform for
himself in the talks that he gave He
traversed the State in an automobile,
driven by his son, and spoke at cross
roads and at any other places where he
could find listeners. Although having
notable command of language and
being especially effective in caustic
invective, he was no orator in the US
ual acceptation of the term His APP
pearance was not striking, ard his
gestures were mostly confined to a
movement of the forearm like those
of a carpenter welding a hammer.
But there was no mistaking the ear
nestness of the man, and his sincerity
was obvious. Wherever he went he
carried conviction with him.
He promised, if elected, that he
would drive the Southern Pacific out
of the domination of the State, which
had become absolute through many
years of misrule under both Republi-
can and Democratic administrations
Judges favoring that company had sat
on the bench and had given decisions
that had nullified the provisions of a
Constitution adopted at the time of a
popular uprising against the railroad
and other corporate tyranny. Prose
cutting officers in many counties were
mere tools of the railway monopoly,
and officers were its willing agents.
In the days when the great San Jo-
aquin Valley was wheat-growing re-
gion, the prices the farmers got for
their yield were fixed by the Southern
Pacific. Every revolt against the
power Of the machine had been a fail
ure up to the time when Hiram w.
johnson INTERCEPTED his personality in
to the fight.
By dint of persistent hammering
Mr.. Johnson won votes and became
Governor. Then, to the amazement of
those who did not know the man, he
went on to do as he had promised.
Before his term of four years had
ended, the power of the machine was
completely broken, and iron-clad pro-
visions have been put into the Consti-
tuition of the State to prevent any re-
sumption Of the old domination. At
the end Of the term Mr.. Johnson came
before the people as a candidate for
reelection, basing his aspiration on
the fact that he had fulfilled the pledg-
es he had given. He was again chos-
en-, being the first governor to be his
own successor in office.
When he, announced himself as a
candidate for United States Senator
he flew in the face of precedent that
had almost the force of law, that
the two Senators should not come
from the same part of the State. The
rule had been to have one Senator
from the North and the other from the
South. This was one of the argu-
ments used against him in the pri-
mary, but it failed IN his case. AL
though a Progressive, he won at the
Republican primary against a regular
and popular Republican opponent from
the southern part of the State.-New
York Times.