Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-07-19
Magnus Johnson Real Dirt
Farmer Declines Commit
ments or Outline of His
Policies Until After Harvest

ST. PAUL, Mimi, July 17.-(By
the Associated Press. )-Minnesota S
/ representation in the United States
senate has been turned over to the
farmer-labor party as a result Of an.
other political transition the state
went through in the special senate
rial election yesterday. Magnus
Johnson, of Kimball, Mimi, a real
dirt" farmer, gained the coveted
post vacated by the recent death of
Senator Knute Nelson, additional re-
turns today from the special election
Swelling his plurality.
In $3.50 of the states $3.50 pre-
cincts, Johnson had a lead of more
than 62,5OO over Governor j. A. Q.
Preus, Republican, with James A
Carley, Democrat, trailing a poor
third.
Senator-elect Johnson will sit with
Henrik Shipstead, who was elected
last fall over Frank B. Kellogg, Re
publican. Both Johnson and Ship
stead are farmer-laborites and have
announced their intention to affiliate
with the followers of Robert M La.
Toilette" in congress.
Crop His First Concern
, Though jubilant over his victory,
the new senator wNs more concerned
today about getting his haying
done" than things political and he
sought to postpone statements in.
cident to his election, but he did let
drop a few remarks.
well, boys" he said, IT put it
over; L beat Jake Preus as I said
L would. Now I can go home and
| help my sons get the haying done.
After that 1 can do some more or
ganizing before I go to Washing
l>ton."
Pressed for details of his organi-
zation plans, he repeated an excerpt
from his campaign keynote speech.
Il will do this because l believe the
farmers and the workers and the
business men can, by united action,
better their conditions"
| He was willing to let it be known
in a semi-official way that he was
/ against the world court and the
! League of Nations and any other
foreign entanglements."
For Russ Recognition
For the present he said he pre-
I feI,rQ6 not n dicoI1cc Y-pnOt mi from. Of
Russia, though between you ana
! me I am for recognition right
away" Prohibition he passed over,
but expressed himself as for a sol.
der bonus, payable out of excess
| profits.
Charles r. Adams, chairman of
| the Republican state central com
mittee, attributed the defeat of Gov
ernor Preus to the fact that 1.-The
| best efforts of Republican workers
were unable to overcome the evil
dent feeling of unrest and dissatis-
faction with economic conditions,
which found its vent in a protest
vote against the party in power.
Governor Preus, who had an
nounced his support of the policies
of the Harding administration,
LaFollette" favor to the election.
had nothing to add today to his
brief statement thanking his sup
porters for their votes. He will con,
tinue as governor until the expira-
ton of his term, January /, 1925,
He has not indicated whether he
would try for the long term sena-
| torial election. in 1924, for yester
| days election simply was for the
uneXpired term of the late Senator
Knute Nelson, or until March, 1925.
| Johnson expects to be a candidate
for the long term, friends said.
Johnson Independent
Senator elect Johnson, while an
nouncing adherence to the princi
pies for which the La Toilette group
are banded together, has qualified
thi; affiliation with the statement
| that he does not intend to accept
dicta ton from any man" in con
| gress.
81 am not quite ready to announce
my plans" he said today, but YOU
can just bet when I want anything
done or want to bring anything to
the attention of the senate, L can
make myself heard"
accepted literally, for the senator
elect has a strong voice, and has
said that he can "out-bellow" about
any one who might care to enter
into competition.
| Some of this ability to make him
! self heard he ascribes to the lung
development he was subjected to
while learning the glass blowers
trade in Sweden when he was in.
his teens. He was born in Warm
land, Sweden, in 1871 and came to
the United States and Minnesota
when he was 20 years old.
Johnson's father was a ship own
er in Sweden and for some time
before migrating to America,
young Johnson sailed before the
mast. In this country, his first
experience included work as a mill
hand and lumberjack. For "a years
he has been farmer at KimbaIl.
No Social Lion
The senator elect insists he sis
nothing but a plain farmer not
varied whether his pants are
pressed, so long as he is backing
the interests of the farmer" While
serving in the Minnesota legisla-
ture, he followed the practice of
scrutinizing every bit of legislation
before voting on it. In the Mime
sofa house and senate-two terms
in the former and one in the lat
ter-Johnson excited considerable
comment by his oratorical efforts
There never was complaint that
some member could not hear him,
he said, and he promises to held to
this reputation in Washington
Johnson, pointing out that many
people say I cannot speak good
English" said he always managed
to make himself understood He
illustrated his point by reciting that
his wife. AN Irish girl who could