Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-07-31
They're Not Going to Slip
Anything Over on MeI ="
New Senator Says in Conn.,
menting on Possible Sena-
toriaI Fights
BY GEORGE BRITT

KINGSTON, Mimi, July Is
You've come a long way just to
see an ordinary Minnesota farmer"
That Is the comment of the neigh
bors in this village, 10 miles from
the railroad, when an interviewer
asks the road to the farm7of Magnus
Johnson.
And when the visitors arrive at
the old white siX-room house over
Swallowed by a huge barn, it is a
perspiring, overall-clad farmer, with
two dogs bounding beside him, who
comes out to give them welcome.
His impressive sincerity and zest for
combat don't appear until later.
The neighbors' phrase of "ordi-
nary" fits Magnus Johnson so far
az his appearance on the farm is
concerned. He is slightly below
average height, but broad of frame.
His hair is brown with a bald spot.
on top, and his bushy mbstache is
reddish brown. Small, light-blue
eyes snap behind heavy-rimmed,
over-thick glasses. 1t is a square
cut, cheerful, alert face.
His picturesque crudity externally
will make him anything but ordinary
in the senate. Aside from the ordi-
nary is a striking similarity in APP
pearance to Theodore Roosevelt
which this rustic radical is delight
ed to hear referred to.
Call Me Magnus"
inc111do new
title of senator"
Call me Magnus," says the sena-
tor, and the manner is anything
but a pose.
A rich Swedish accent shows as
he bellows his words in the CONVEX
sational tone which can be heard on
the next farm. The accent will be
found to include gentlemen" for
gentlemen" VERY" for very"
and Shores" for chores"
| This is Magnus johnson Junior"
he says, as he seizes his stage-fright-
ened 14-year-0ld namesake and drags
him forward for introduction.
"Magnus is a very good boy" says
the father, his blue eyes shining
through oVer-thick spectacles and
his teeth showing in a broad smile
under the bushy reddish mustache-
"Maenus has to work hard on the
farm. He was born on the Fourth
of July. Who says L am not patri-
otic?"
Then are introduced the others OF
the family-"Ma" Johnson, large,
Ipleasant-smiling unaffected coun-
try woman; Lillian, %; Victor, 81;
Francis, 10; Agnes, 10, and Flor
ence, 9.
Family of Workers
They bore the burden of farm
| work during the campaign. On cleo
ton day Mrs. Johnson herself milk
ed seven of the family's tWenty-four
cows before going to Minneapolis to
| receive election returns. ma" and
| Magnus will take the younger three
| children to Washington when they
go.
BY a back door the senator leads
his visitors through the dining
room to the sitting room" The
kitchen is in the rear, but in the
dining room is sink with pump
at the end instead of water faucets.
| On the sideboard stand freshly
| filled kerosene lamps.
Lillian goes back to clearing the
dishes from the table and scrapes
gravy from the cloth where the chill
dren had spilled it.
AS MagnIs talks he opens let
tiers at a small roll-top desk in the
| sitting room. There are two gee,
| tons of bookcases over the desk,
| but the books consist almost entire.
| ly Of volumes Of Minnesota legisla-
tive proceedings. Most conspicuous
on the walls are old-time enlarged
portraits in furnished gilt frames
showing Magnus and his first wife.
Some of the children sleep in couch
es in the sitting room.
Magnus tells his visitors that he
| was born in Sweden fifty-two years
ago. He got good marks at school
| but left when he was twelve, He
worked on coast sailing vessels. de-
| veIoped his lungs In glass factory
| and came to America at twenty.
| After a few years as a lumberjack
| he moved to the farm which is
home today. paying SIS an acre for
the first forty acres.
Organizing Is Hobby
"I chopped over all this land my
SELF. he tells you. For sixteen
years [ hauled cordwood to town,
and the first organizing I ever did
was to get farmers fair price for
| wood"
Organizing has been his hobby In