The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-01-18
ROY M. JOHNSON OF ARDMORE
AS SEEN BY CHARLES EVANS


educator and writer. The Ard.
moreite reprints 1t because OF its
intimate local INTEREST,":
The other day in looking over Okla.
hona's largest daily newspaper there
stood out u few lines of wonderful
interest.
10y NJ. Johnson OF Ardmore will
oe q formidable figure in the field
whom the republican party comes to
make is nomination in Oklahoma for
United States senator"
Ny mind ran away from the paper
and through the glass of memory,
pohcld Roy johnson in n little print
shop on North Washington street in
Ardmore, in those years, when the
state or Oklahoma was born. There
he was, master Of the Mergenthaler.
from which under his magic touch
came type that fed the columns Of
every paper within SO miles OF Ard.
more and met the demands Of job
printing OF the Chickasaw metropolis
as well as many OF its neighbor towns.
surrounded by cases OF type, and the
ciane and roar of the presses. busy
always busy day and night, still the
one thing that marked him above ;lll
else was spirit: happy, fearless devo-
ton 10 Ideals. 1t made, him and his
shop known ana felt by the men who
were making Ardmon that section
ana Incidentally the new state.
1t IS hard ~ grasp personality. II
has been said that no man is SO EIoai
as 10 hC q .oYo TO hi; valet 4 young
IMAM &C GAiliine or 3etaIenem Of Jr.
*l,G1, YOU may take your choice pu'
II another way when he !amonteu
tina man .s not without honor save
In his own country Memory runs
again to a little village In Kentucky
where u big, luhberly lad played with
me or against me in b9se ball when
the Marion "Nictors" met the Salem
"Iinvincibes," They called him whit
e." James and n mile away you coul
hear him call his men to victory. In
little while Whitley was spcakinp
pieces at fourth Of July celebrati ns
and the boys al giggcd and said be
va, trying to act like Joe Blackburn
and John G.. Carlisle since hc h'd
heln = page in the Kentucky iepir.a
turo. Then, one day, there W.. d.
greet issue set up by the people q
the land and Il congressman from IN
district in which young James then
was q promising lawyer took a
POSITION which aroused the wrath o!
"Naltoy.' The big fat at.head' in q
day put off all the encumbering ar
,nor OF fear and with IN eloquenc,
1ri logic born of high ideals, fait
iu the plain folks and earnest toll
n. thing he loved, Whitley" had D.
cJr,e Hon. Ollie NJ. James congress
man from the Gibraltar district
Kentucky. To the CONSERVATION G
his ncighbors, for moro than a decaG
nc served America in the lower hous
left his mighty impress upon tho
whole state. climbed high in the cs
TEEN Of the nation, was Ut DENY
offered the nomination for vice presl
.Acnt declining, Kentucky placed hin
IA tho seat OF Henry Clay and afte
Nhe had aS chairman of the last ""
national conventions OF the democrat
marty given into the hands CT Woo
row Wilson the principles which mad
him president, Ollie NJ. James, "Whl
ey" was enshrned by death rs or
Americas greatest men.
True greatness is inherent 1t
in the soul OF the child, II is in {
hoy and the unfledged man. Roy =
Johnson as a young printer, work
FOR Il wage in the ArdInore shop
the dawn Of Oklahoma statehood, "
as genuine, Us democratic and q 10
of service to home people and cou
try "a today when as man OF gre
wealth, tremendous accomplishing
and clean character, the repuplc'
party leaders are considering nun
iheir marty candidate for the lnit''
States senate and at time when
IS whispered "the republican nomina
ton for that high office Will b.
empty honor
one night a state teachers assocr
ton OF a trip TO the capital took II
down the main street of Ardinoie
the santa Fe depot. AS usual u
only light just off Main street was
tho WASHINGTON street office of JONI
CONS urintery. AS usual, glad 10 I'm
mn excuse for = visit TO place Whr'
,,,re WAS a young fellow who
Cl1lr 10 DISCUSS llNclti'
nolitics and religion us To play on
linotype, tall; oil or edit n rpuoi',d
prvrsuapor. entered and soon II
I[,rcenthalcr was dumb under u
stress of our conversation.
.Nhat are YOU going to do W.
all This business that ke, ps you pou1'
in- away while other folks are in Dr.
,bot makes YOU take sides OF que
lions not popular in this section d"
\. vet which makes you come up snnnH
kA all occasionSY'
= This question he answered at ono
in n way that no one with a love
youth or life could forget.
"ft is my purpose to make ouS
moss success. l may have means an
-,o,ver to bless and serve mankind )u'
as nv father taught me and my nio''
er prayed for me to do
Johnsons father was u preache'
This may not account for the deVouo
he has ever displayed for clean thnh
inC and living-and just here II III
IA we'll be said that no man eve
heard o. word or looked upon an ao
of Roy Johnson's that was not worm
Of a company Of high womanhood
hut IL may explain the introductiN
of the lad to the school of "Hai
Knocks" at very early age. Preac!
ora have never broken into promi
ence as a class of moneymakers. III
parents, however, had chosen vii
care the early schools to which the.
=