The Butts County progress. (Jackson, Ga.) 18??-1915, June 11, 1908, Image 3

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NEED OFJUNTRT, Triumph of Democratic Principles is Imperative. THE MAN AND THE HOUR. With the Nomination of John A. John son, Progressive Democrat of Integ rity, Ability and Achievement, Suc cess Is Assured. "Wearied of twelve years of over whelming defeat In national elections, during which time the party has lost national political control of every northern state and has witnessed dev astating inroads even on the southern states, hundreds of thousands of Dem ocratic voters have In the last few months asked, “Who is the man who can lead the party to victory?” The best of armies, military or polit ical, require some measure of success to maintain their spirit and efficiency. Continuous and overwhelming defeat even in the worthiest of causes dis heartens the strongest men. Conditions are such in this year 1908 that a united Democracy supporting a strong presidential nominee can win the presidential office and open the way for a return of the Democratic party to power. Not only do the best interests of the Democratic party call for a victory this year, but so also do the best interests of the untion. Twelve years of almost unopposed government of the republic by one party and for eight of those years practically by one man have brought about conditions that are repugnant to the efficient and satisfactory administration of a gov ernment supposedly of the people. Principle With Victory. Victory can be achieved this year without sacrificing one iota of the stand for principle that has been made with so much sacrifice by the Demo cratic party of the United States for the last dozen years. It Is merely a question of changing leadership. Three times in succession our party has gone to defeat because its leadership has not been able to inspire confidence in the masses of the voters, patriotic, progressive and sincere as that leader ship has unquestionably been. The party is greater than its individual membership and greater than its lead ers. The time has come when it should name Its leader In a presidential cam paign and no longer permit itself to be defeated by a sentimental, though he roic, devotion to a great name that has dominated it for a dozen years. If in the ranks of the party there is a man whose principles, whose party fealty, whose success in political bat tles, whose actual achievements in legislation and statesmanship—and a man bolding a commanding political situation—are such that victory under his leadership is indicated, is it not the duty of reasonable, thoughtful, de voted Democrats desiring the success of their party to turn to him? Johnson the Man. The friends of Governor John A. Johnson of Minnesota, who have watched his remarkable eafeer in re cent years, as well as Impartial ob servers and journalists throughout the country, believe that he is the man of the hour, the man in every way equip ped to make a successful campaign and afterward to be a chief executive of the highest order. Let us briefly re view his career. John A. Johnson was born In St. Peter, Nicollet county, Minn., July 28, 18G1, of Swedish parents. His child hood and youth were passed in great poverty. At thirteen years of age he was compelled to leave the public schools of his native city In order to support himself aud the parental fam ily. Though his formal education was thus early cut short, his self education never stopped. A student at all times, a wide reader and a thoughtful one. Mr. Johnson, after some years of ob scure toil as a drug and grocery clerk and railway timekeeper, became at the age of twenty-four editor of the St. Pe ter Uerald. He soon became known as one of the ablest of Minnesota Jour nalists and was recognized as one of the leaders of journalism in a state re markable for the number, vigor and in fluence of its periodical press. Asa country editor he was gradually drawn into politics and in 1898 was elected a member of the senate of the Minne sota legislature, and his first public po litical work was as a member of that body. From the first he was Identified with various reform measures which have since become law in Minnesota. Wherever Governor Johnson has gone he has Impressed men as being a man of the Lincoln type. He has the faculty of making many friends and few enemies. Governor Johnson’a-Lsgislative Results The governor recommended a per manent tax commission. The legisla ture gave It to him, and the ink was hardly dry on the document before he appointed a commission so strong In its personnel that the Republican sen ate resolved by a rising vote to con firm the appointments without delay, the equally housCi thougfi without the power of confirma tion, by a rising vote its ap preciation of the excellence of the gov ernor’s appointments. In northern Minnesota are the great est iron ore fields in the world. The state of Minnesota owns extensive areas of these lands. By leases they were largely in the hands of the Unit ed States Steel corporation, and the state was receiving only an insignifi cant Income from its royalties. The governor advised the withdrawal of all such lands from mineral leases, and the legislature concurred. Minnesota has enjoyed but scant In come from the wealth of the privately owned iron mines. The governor rec ommended a royalty tax on the output of these mines. He did—ot get it. but the United States SU™ corporation bound itseif as a substitute to establish a $20,000,000 steel plant at Duluth. The newly created tax commission, together with the state board of equal ization. which preceded it (the mem bers of which were appointed by Gov ernor Johnson).-have in the four years of Governor Johnson’s administration increased the assessed valuation of the steel corporation's iron ore holdings in Minnesota from $32,000,000 to $190,- 000,000. The sleeping car companies of Min nesota had never paid taxes in Minne sota in proportion to their earnings. The governor recommended a change in the system of taxing these compa nies, and a satisfactory law was en acted. Similarly a rational law as to mortgage taxation was enacted. Railway Regulation. Taking up freight rates, Governor Johnson in a powerful speech so ex haustively and conclusively bared ex isting unequal and exorbitant rates that the railway companies voluntarily made a reduction of 10 per cent on grain rates on their lines In northern Minnesota. By order of the railway commission, re-eu forced by subsequent legislation, this voluntary reduction was followed by a horizontal reduc tion in maximum freight rates of about 13 per cent, and there was created a uew class of merchandise tariff in which the rates were reduced about 20 per cent. The railways took these re ductions into the United States courts by enjoining the attorney general of Minnesota from enforcing the law. This action has opened up some of the most important litigation involving constitutional interpretation that has come before the supreme court in this generation. The Two Cent Law. The enactment of the two cent pas senger tariff law was an example of Governor Johnson’s celerity of action. Invited to address the Minnesota Edi torial association, instead of making the usual platitudinous address on such occasions, “he exploded the two cent bomb" and urged that an end be put to the giving of passes. He talked on the same subject to a convention of commercial travelers. Immediately the state was aflame with this innovation in railway legislation. When the legis lature met be asked for a law embody ing this idea, and the legislature quick ly responded. Neighboring states fol lowed with reductions, and now throughout the middle northwest the two cent rate prevails. About the time Governor Johusou came into office there was a wide spread agitation for reciprocal demur rage laws which would compel rail ways to allow shippers demurrage charges for failure to deliver cars pu time. Governor Johnson, ever abreast of popular progress, recommended such a law and got it Thanks to his Initiative, the orders of the Minnesota railroad and ware house commission are now Immediate ly effective pending appeal. In Defense of Labor. Governor Johnson. In consonance with his thorough democracy and be lieving In equal rights, has not been neglectful of the interests of labor. He desired a free state employment bu reau designed to eliminate the many abuses that have marked private em ployment bureaus In the great labor centers of Minnesota. Such a bureau was created and has been thoroughly helpful and widely efficient. Since time immemorial that relic of feudalism, the common law doctrine of nonliability of employer to employee for injuries occurring through the negli gence of a fellow servant, has prevail ed In Minnesota as well as In many other states. "This ancient rule of the common law," said Governor Johnson, “coupled with the other rule generally referred to us the doctrine of the as sumption of risk by employees, has cast upon the individual laborer a risk and responsibility out of proportion to the wages he receives.” During his term of office Governor Johnson has had to deal with one great conflict betwee i labor and capi tal—namely. the stri'.:e of tbo miners on the Minnesota Iron ranges. By di rect personal Intervention, by advice to the employers on the one hand and the strikers on the other, the governor succeeded, without the use of state troops, in preventing violence and bloodshed. In the forests and prairies of north ern Minnesota are great extents of fertile lands which, owing to lack of drainage, not been available for cultivation. Thanks to Governor John son, additional legislation on this sub ject was secured, and hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land will be added t® the rolls of the state’s wealth. Governor Johnson believes In the municipal ownership of public utilities, and. following his suggestion, a modi fied form of the Illinois Mueller law was adopted by the Minnesota legisla ture. Under its provisions a municipal ity may bond Its street railways or other public utilities to pay the cost of the purchase and operation of the same. Minnesota, a leading agricultural state, has long had to contend with the cordage trust, which has a practi cal monopoly of the binding twine used in harvesting. For innny years the state has had a twine plant in which prison labor was employed. The trust erected a factory in Minnesota to compete with the state made twine, and Governor Johnson’s answer was. with the consent of the legislature, authorization for the state twine plant to sell Its product outside ns well as within the state. The cordage trust will now have to flgnt the cheap Min nesota state made twine in other states as well as at home. MAN THE NATION REQUIRES. John A. Johnson the Ideal Occupant of the Presidential ChVr. As president Governor Johnson would have the qualities that might be do scribed as logically and historically needful at this time, representing both in thought and by concrete achieve ment all of the progressive reforms to which the American people are now thoroughly committed. His personality and his methods are such that, coming into office after the strenuous and eveu terrifying political and financial expe riences of recent years, he would be prepared to hold all that has been gain ed, restore an era of good feeling and smoothly and comfortably prepare the way for such additional advanced legis lation as the times require. In a word, Governor Johnson is precisely the kind of leader the nation requires at this time, ready for new legislatl3n to meet new needs, but careful and conserva tive In bis methods. The same confi dence Inspiring, vote getting attributes that have made Governor Johnson so popular In Minnesota that there is ab solutely no question that he could car ry the state us the Democratic presi dential nominee will make him equally popular with the voters of the nation once they have an opportunity to be come acquainted with the man. Every political campaign has its In dividual conditions. It is found in this contest that Governor Johnson pos sesses a strength peculiar to him alone and by which he is certain to bring to the Democratic party upward of a mil lion votes in the middle west that have hitherto been Republican. This condi tion insures beyond a reasonable doubt victory for Democracy and Governor Johnson In the following states: Min nesota, North and South Dakota, Illi nois, Wisconsin, lowa, Kansas. Ne braska, Colorado, Montana, Washing ton and Michigan. PLATFORM BROAD AND STRONG Declarations of Governor Johnson All Democrats Will Indorse. “The man from Minnesota" believes In tne “immediate revision of the tar iff. to the end that articles now con trolled in America by illegal and ltn moral combinations may be deprived of their tariff power to rob the com munity." lie believes that tariff re vision Is one of the most important works for the correction of tne abuses I hat are plaguing the country. He believes that the maintenance of government by the people involves the least interference by federal power with the domestic affairs of the states consistent with efficient national ad ministration. He believes in the constitution. “For n president.” he says, "to go outside the constitution, even to accomplish a beneficent purpose, is to enter the road that leads to the destruction of repub lics.” He 13 opposed to the government owuershlp of railways by state or na tion. but, as his acts show, is a strong believer in Just and rigorous rcgula tion. He is opposed to oversea expansion. He favors “the peaceful consolida tion of the continent from Panama to the arctic circle.” ne Is opposed to great military es tablishments. but believes that the size of the American navy must neces sarily bo determined to some extent by (he naval activities of other countries. He is opposed to ship subsidies. "You can’t kill combinations,” be says, * * • “but when you come in~to crush the business of Individuals they must be opposed as evils.” Ho believes in an income tax. He believes in the just and equal en forcement of law and that the observ ance of the law Is as incumbent upon the rich and powerful as upon the poor and weak*. Subscribe now for the Progress. False Claims A number of business colleges and schools have been claiming to teach the genuine famous Byrne Simplified Shorthand. Their claims are positively untrue; they only have some imitation system which does not possess the merit of the sixth edition of the Byrne Simplified which is taught, exclusively by the Byrne Business Col leges in the states where tneir schools are located. Inasmuch as we are under contract to protect the Byrne Bus iness Colleges and in prder that the public may not be deceived by by any false reports, we give the nsmes of the Byrne Business Colleges and their location: Tyler Commercial College, Tyler, Tex as, Capital City Business College, Guthrie, Okla., Fredonia Business College, Fredonia, Ivans., Columbus Business College, Columbus, Miss., Athens Business College, Athens, Ga. A. few years ago, when the Byrne Business Colleges were introducing our system, these very schools were loudest in their claims that the system would not make good, and now since they have seen the Byrne Business Colleges grow to be the largest in their state and one of them the largest in the U. S., they want to obtain patronage under the false claim that they are teaching the Byrne Simplified. There is always a great difference between the original and the imitation. U. BYRNEJPU BLISHING CO. TYLER, TEXAS Take an Outing VIA Southern : Railway THE RESORTS OF “The Beautiful Sapphire Country" and “The Land of the Sky" are cool and inviting UNUSUALLY ATTRACTIVE LIST OF Summer Resorts For complete information in regard to rates, schedules, etc., address G. R. PETIT, T. P. A., Macon, Georgia. Machine Shop W. I. WAGNER, Proprietor Machinery erected and repaired; Pipe Fitting, Plumbing, Electric Wiring; Automobiles and Gasoline Engines Repaired. WANTED: Scrap Iron,Brass,Copper,Lead X_ E. Edwards | The Bicycle Repairer Repairs Bicycles, Graphophones Phonographs, Umbrellas, Sew ing Machines, Novelties, Etc. , Sharpens Meat Saws, Wood Saws, Scissors, Knives, Lawn Mow ers, Etc. Sells Bicycle Sundries and Supplies. Futr Rubber Tires on Baby Carriages. Guarantees his work. TV, no' send your repair work away when you can havo done here and saving, at least, express charges.