Evening star., 1936-08-23

any situation. This was especially
exemplined In 1892, when the Legis-
lature investigated State highway con-
tracts. The Minnesota Supreme
Courts ruling on one phase of the
case prompted Olson to publicly re-
buke" the tribunal in an address
which was widely publicized.
As Governor he advocated and
signed laws imposing State income
tax, q chain store tax, creating State
highway commission, establishing
minimum hours and wages for State
highway workers, an old-age pension
plan. and q mortgage moratorium law.
He recommended, but never obtained,
legislation for higher taxes on con-
centrated wealth and utilities and an
unemployment insurance plan.
Only q few hours before his death
Olson had conferred with close
friend about his race for election to
the United States Senate on the
Farmer-Labor ticket.
Friends in st. Paul said death had
thwarted the consuming ambition of
Olson's last months Of life. They said
he wanted to be elected to the Senate.
Mother Demanded U. s. Name.
The Governor was the son of Paul
o. Olson, who migrated to Minneapo-
Lis from Norway and became a lum-
berjack. His mother. Ida Maria Mel
son, was . native of Sweden. Floyd
Bjornstjerne Olson was born to them
November 13, 1891. The father, an
admirer Of the great Norwegian poet,
Bjornson, selected the middle name
The mother demanded her son be
given strictly American" name and
chose Floyd.
The family was poor and young
Olson sold newspapers, labored
through vacations beside his father
in a lumber yard and worked his way
through high school by ushering in an
old nickelodeon. There he met Ada
Krejci. They were married in 1917.
Meantime Olson had wandered up
into Canada and on to Alaska in search
Of gold. He cme back to Minneapolis,
got through the Northwestern Col
lege of Law and was admitted to the
bar in 1915. As Junior member of a
law firm which defended James A.
Peterson. Minneapolis attorney, in a
World War sedition trial, Olson said
he decided to become left winger"
when he heard the verdict convicting
Peterson for writing q book which
contended that the war was a conflict
for profit.
Cleaned out City Hall.
His first public ofiice was as county
attorney, to which post he was ap-
pointed in 1919. In that post he sue
cessfully prosecuted Ku Klux Klan
leaders on charges of criminal libel
against the mayor of Minneapolis
and in 1928 instituted a city council
graft investigation that resulted in
prison terms for several aldermen.
Since he was credited then with
cleaning out the city hail." lib
erals raised a cry for him to clean
out the State capital" He had tried
to win the governorship in 1924, but
had been overwhelmingly defeated by
Theodore Christianson. But in 1880
he was made Farmer-Labor candi-
date for Governor and won the elec-
tion by 10000 votes. 4
His most turbulent year in office
was 1884, when he placed Minneapo-
lis under military control after some
go persons had been shot in rioting
that accompanied . truck drivers
strike.
His "Unofficial" Remark.
The farm holiday" movement was
strong in Minnesota through the de-
preston years and frequently fore
closure sales Of farms were stopped
by angry agriculturists. Once a group
Of them appealed to Gov. Olson for
advice.
You are asking me, an officer of
the law, what to do?" he exclaimed.
Il can't tell you. but you fellows have
been doing pretty well so far and I
think you can take care Of any situa-
ton that may arise"
There we're a number Of foreclosure
stoppages after that remark became
known.