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Show GQVERNORJQHNSQN MINNESOTA MAN WHO IS A PRESIDENTIAL PRES-IDENTIAL POSSIBILITY. His Rise to National Prominence Has Been Entirely Due to His Own Efforts A Country Editor In Early Days. Chicago. When tho cast solccts a western man as 1U favorite for a presidential presi-dential nomination It Is safo to say that the individual chosen Is out of tho ordinary. John A. Johnson of Minnesota Is very far out of tho ordinary. ordi-nary. Six years ago tho pcoplo of his own state asked! "Who is Johnson?" They loomed speedily. Six months slnco the pcoplo of tho United States wero asking the same question: "Who Is Johnson?" They nro learning to-dny, Xor this blue-eyed Swede, whose father fa-ther was tho village drunkard and whoso mother was tho village washerwoman, washer-woman, is, after Bryan, tho most commanding com-manding flguro In the Democratic party. par-ty. Ho Is a Belf-mado man, and tho finished product is held by many as qulto good enough to grace tho Whlto Houso. That bespeaks ability out of the ordinary. Undoubtedly Gov. Johnson owes In some measure his present national promtnenco to Henry Wntterson. Politicians Poli-ticians tho country over had noted that a Democrat had twice beon elected elect-ed governor of Republican Minnesota onco In presidential year when Roosevelt might havo been relied upon to pull through the most unfit of state tickets but to the masses of tho voters vot-ers Johnson wns little moro than a namo, and a most general name nt that Then, onrly last summer, Col. Wntterson made his famous announcement announce-ment of a Democrat living west of tho Alleghantcs and north of tho Ohio who could bo elected president in this year of campaigning, 1908. That piqued tho country's curiosity, nnd now most everyone knows something nt least about Johnson of Minnesota. Johnson's early life was hard and uphill. Born on a farm near St. Peter, Minn., In 18G1, his father's conduct GOV. JOHNSON OF MINNESOTA. compcllod tho son to leave school and become tho head of tho fnmlly when 13 years of age. Ho was errand boy at first, and his mother took In washing wash-ing to mako both ends meet, but after two yonrs John, who had risen to tho position of clerk In tho vlllago drug store, went homo ono ovenlng nnd announced an-nounced that tho taking In of washing wash-ing was to stop, that ho would support tho family. And he did. Much of Johnson's political success la due to that same trait which mado him a "leading citizen" of St. Peter nt 25; evoryono llkos him and relies on him. He was as a young man n Republican, but ho found In Clove-land's Clove-land's tariff views tho expression of his own oplnons, nnd since thon ho has been a Democrat. Whon ho wns 26 tho ownors of tho St. Peter Herald wantod n Democratic editor and selected se-lected Johnson. He novor had written n lino for tho newspapers, but they wero sure he would be successful, and, as always when put to tho tost, John-Bon John-Bon fulfilled the expectations of his friends. From editor of a county pnper to politics 1b a very short stop Indeod, nnd Johnson took it, nnd in 1898 was elected to the stato sonato. He tried for ro-olectlon, but, luckily for him, was dofeated luckily becauso if he had beon In tho senate he could not have been his party'B candidate for governor govern-or In 1901. That year Roosevelt headed head-ed tho Republican national ticket and ft. C. Dunn was the nomlnoo for governor. gov-ernor. This Is tho way tho figures stood when tho ballots had boon counted: count-ed: Roosevelt, 210,051; Parker, 85.1S7; Johnson, 147,993; Dunn, 140,130. Johii-r.on Johii-r.on had changed 84,000 votes in a presidential year. Two years lator, In 1906, he was elected by a plurality of 74,000. In porcona nppoaranco Gov. Johnson John-son Is six feot tall with clear blue oyea and a faco seamed with wrinkles, As a speaker he is Impressive rather than cloqup |