The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1924-01-24
MAGNUS Will SEEK
full SENATE TERM
KIMBALL FARMER DECLARES
HE DOES NOT CARE TO
RUN FOR GOVERNOR.
HE LIKES WASHINGTON
INSISTS TALENT RUNS ALONG
LEGISLATIVE, NOT Exc
CUTIVE LINES.
washington Correspondent Min
neapolis Tribune)

washington Correspondent Min
neapolis Tribune)
Washington, Jan. 17.-Magnus
johnson will be a candidate to sue
coed himself as United States sena-
tor. He will not run for governor of
Minnesota as he has been urged to.
The Minnesota senator made all
this plain tonight when he made
public copy of letter which he had
just sent to State Senator Henry
Arens of Jordan, MINI. In that let
ter Senator Johnson said clearly and
without equivocation that if he is to
hold political office he prefers the
legislative type of work.
Senator Arens was in Washington
for several days as witness before
the House and Senate agricultural
committees in support of the Nor
beck-Burtness bill providing for a
$5O,0OO,OOO revolving fund to speed
up diversified farming. Further,
Senator Arens is leader in the
Farmer-Labor movement in Minneso-
ia, and one of the leading legislators
of that group in the state.
Senator Johnson's letter gives his
position. 1t is a personal letter to
Senator Arens and it is intended to
set at rest the agitation in Minnesota
to have him run for governor.
There have been many rumors in
Washington that A. G. Townley him
self would like to run for senator.
This has been discounted here but it
is known positively that there has
been quite a movement on foot In
Minnesota to have Senator Johnson
run for governor. Some of the adj
herents of the Farmer-Labor party
in the state have believed that he
could be elected to the governor
ship without difficulty and they have
wanted thereby to gain control OF the
executive department of the state
government.
The letter to Senator Arens makes
certain however, that Senator john
son will be in the field for senator
and will not run for governor. 1t
means that the Farnfer-Labor party
will at once have to start its work OF
concentrating on some one else Tor
governor. 4
Senator Johnson's letter to Sena-
tor Arens, personal in nature, but
setting forth clearly his views, fol-
lows in full:
NV Dear Senator Arens:
7 haven't gotten round to
YOUR recent letter which you re-
minded me of when you were
* here. I am sorry / was so busy
when you were here that we q
couldn't have a long visit.
You remember that after the
primary last year, l gave out
the statement that if elected on
July 16 would consider myself
elected to the short term only.
And then I said that the organl-
zation that had drafted me to
run for the short term should
consider themselves free to
choose some one else as their
candidate for senator next year
if they saw fit. | still stand by
that statement.
However, if my own wishes
are considered in the matter
at all, I want to make it clear
that l am not seeking the in
.dorsement for governor. This
is so for several reasons:
First-Switching from one
office to another of equal I'M
portance wouldn't look well,
would have the appearance Of
political trading.
Second-I feel that I am bet
ter fitted to be a legislator than
an executive. I have had con-
siderable experience in legisla-
tive work and feel at home in it.
While have had no experience
as an executive, l have a feel
ing that l would not like that
sort of work as well.
So, if I am to be candidate
for any office, I should prefer to
be in the senate, that is, provid-
ing my record has been satisfac-
tory to the people that named
me to make the race last year.
I do not like to write about
this matter, but owing to the
fact that some confusion exists
as to my wishes, I feel obliged
to set forth my position.
Yours truly,