The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-08-13

.lO ~,
newshawk. since January secretary 10
United States Senator Elmer Benson.
Miracles are all in a days work With
Johnny. Johnny does with the greatest
of ease things that are impossible in
nature or humanity. Presidents and
statesmen must wreStle with principah- |
ties and powers, often to their dis
comfiture. but Johnny has but to speak
and it stands in the public prints an
accomplished fact.
Until he got Johnny Johnston for his
secretary, Elmer Benson has never done
much of anything, except perhaps ruth
leSsly to forecloSe a farm mortgage,
strip the defenselesS farmer of all his
belongings and evict him from his farm,
but the moment Elmer got Johnny on
the job, Elmer began doing things.
Johnny thrust Senator ShipStead back
into innocuouS deSuetude but had Elmer
doing something high and mighty every
day
Take the matter of the purchase of
CCC supplies at Fort Smelling for in
stance. The war department resolved
to do the buying at Chicago. Senator
ShipStead and Minnesota congressman
put every possible pressure on the war
department but without any results
visible to the naked eye. When all hope
was lost Elmer Benson went into action.
Just sent a telegram and the war de-
partment backed down on the instant
and rescinded its action. So Johnny
says. How Johnny must have snickered
when he read that on the first pages OF
republican papers in Minnesota!
Johnny got a little real ambitious the
other day. He had Senator Benson the
principal speaker at a communist meet
ing in st. Paul at 100 p. m, at Farl-
bault labor meeting at the same hour
and at a Duluth gathering at o'clock.
This would have been a tough assign
ment even for a smart fellow, but
Johnny with two fingers and type
writer nonchalantly tossed it off before
breakfast.
The st. Paul communist picnic had
Elmer Benson billed as the principal
speaker with Clarence Hathaway assist
ing Hathaway is an editor Of the
communist Daily Worker" member
of the central committee of the COM
muniSt party and active in various cap
acities in the party. When Elmer
failed to appear, Hathaway held forth
long and earnestly. "All communists,
all socialists must vote the farmer
labor ticket" he declared. Hathaway'S
declaration that the communist party
was doing everything possible for the
farmer-labor party might have been
amended to declare also doing every
thing to the farmer-labor party Com
muniStS almost succeeded in taking over
the farmer-labor state convention and
Communist Howard Y. Williams did
succeed in wrestling the farmer-labor
nomination in the fourth congressional
district away from the farmer-labor
party.
The American system of government
consists of three coordinate branches
Politics swirls about the executive and
the legislative. They strut the stage;
the spotlight of events faStens the
pubIic's eye upon them. The judiciary
on the contrary, is clustered in its
chambers unseen and seldom heard OF
The names of executives and lawmakers
are household words, but how many
MinnesotanS can name the justices Of
their supreme court? Not one in
thousand. Yet upon the learning, the
sound judgment and the integrity o.
those Judges hangs the welfare and TIT
happiness of the people in fully a!
great measure as upon the executive
and the lawmaker.
Justice Andrew Holt is dean of TIT
Minnesota supreme court. He has beer
a member of the high court for ;
quarter of a century, having served
longer than any other member Of TIT
court in the history of the state.
Justice Holt is Viking and as vigor'
GUS as any of those of yore, despite hi
four score and one years of life. HI
came to the high court from Mime
apoliS where he had practiced law anC
served as municipal and. district judge
for many years. He still resides IL
Minneapolis. He is up betimeS in thu
morning, boarding a street car ever,
week day morning at six o'clock and
at his desk in the capitol at seven
There are few days when he is no
found there even during the weeks o
the summer recess. If perchance yo
find his door closed and locked, yo
may reasonably guess that he is oft 70
a day or two in the north woods, 70
Judge Holt is a fisherman Of parts.
Andrew Holt and John Lind wer
lifelong friends. They reached thei
majority about the same time and tn
young men often discussed with eac
other their plans and hopes as the
wondered of the future. A letter writ
ten by Andrew Holt to John Lind i
those early days set out an ideal whic
animated John Lind throughout hi
life and which is still a rule Of con
duct for Andrew Holt. 1t said: IF, q
you say, We cannot yet exercise any in
fluence to raise our nation We Gel
tainly can by adherence to justice an
diligence search for wisdom and know
ledge and raise ourselves above SuS
picion and contempt in the eyes {
those with whom we come in cor
tact"
Habits Of industry formed in mis- boy
hood cling to the judge on the bencl
Day in and day out he puts in Ion
hours; no member of the court worl
harder than Judge Holt. His schot
days were always years Of toll on tn
farm and to win his way through III
university and to a license to practic
law, he had to work hard and unrt
mittingly. Such schooling GROUND
Of Iaoy in