New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-05-18
he johnson Record
AN Adn'irer Sets Down Il.
Facts in His Fopor
To the Editor of The Tribur.

"0 Doitor OF 1he Tribune,
SIR; Having been for few vs,~.
rather devoted follower Of vour ~
tor7ai policies, feel justified in ..,,
you to explain little more clearly ,a
reasons for antagonizing the cana;x.
oil Senator johnson and at N. -.
time setting me to rights if nv ;,t.
nation regarding Mr.. johnson is e;.s.
incorrect or distorted. Among NV
pressions of past and curreat cver,. T
the following: are
That Mr.. johnson was elected to a..
Iovernorship of California on hi. A..
tlnct pledge to rid that state of q co,.-,I
improperly vested politically IN a.
southern Pacific Railroad. That he ~.
only fulfilled his pledge, bat was ,h.s
ough enough to enact legisIat;o,
winch made it impossible for vu.a
condition to again maintain tn. /
ne was responsible for the IN;
tiation and enactment Of suh..
quent legislation covering, among o,no.
things, the administration Of nuhl;. ,,.;,
lties' workmen's compensation and a,
budget system (this ten years evo1
whose success prompted Mr. Roossvo,.
to declare that the result const;t,.,
the finest set of laws ever drafted in AM,
state in the Union. That the men wb,
fought Johnson's election Aon tba =.
sumption that he was "radicalp h.r.
since witnessed the constructive succs.,
OF his contributory efforts in better;n,
labor conditions without affecting ~
stability Of capital. That these are tb.|
"millionaires" you now accuse Johnsonl
OF assoclating with, whom once I'll
fought politically; to be candid, was u
not they who carried the fight to him,
That in the projection of his original
pledge no consistent act on his mar
could possibly have had the effect ii
binding the voters Of California to tb.l
very plain fact that Mr.. Hughes, yisel,
or unwisely, as any one may judge for,
himself, while campaigning the ststs n
1916 dealt with the very crowd ths,
johnson had fought. That even if John.
son had attempted to exoncrate Hughes
for this poorly advised and tsetlss.
political blu 4der the vote would st;ul
have resulted as it did, only perhan.
more so, for SUCH a move by ychnson
would have branded him as faksr Of
the meanest type.
That Mr.. Roosevelt at no time Grill.
cised Mr.. johnson for the stand he took
That these persistent hints and sue.
gcstions of support proffered to John
son by Reds, Bolsheviki and their like
are repulsive to people who are intelN.
gent enough to judge man by an open
past and splendid record of achieve
ments.
That this particular brand Of political
mud singing will win few votes for
Wood, and that If Mr.. Roosevelt were
alive to-day some people would be
properly spanked and put in their place
That an overbalance Of this nonsense
will throw the Republican party into
the same CONSERVATION it suffered In
1912 and since.
That there Is great void in real
leadership created by Mr. Roosevelt's
death, and that we are anx;ously await
ing the arrival Of true successor.
That Mr.. Wood is in very much the
same position and Influenced by pretty
much the same crowd that confronted
the unfortunate Mr.. Taft in 1912. That
he has had no more, if as much, admin.
istrative training for the Office as had
Taft, and that the public's experience
with the latter entities it to some indie.
pendence Of choice.
That until some other candidate takes
q firmer stand on the treaty and its
league of nations whose clarity Of pur-
pose leaves no doubt as to its truly
American origin Pm for johnson.
J. R. F.
Bridgeport, Conn, May Is, 1920.