Magnus the Great

The late Knute Nelson, Viking of the Senate, is to have a remarkable successor, Magnus the Great. Magnus Johnson, Farmer-Labor candidate, defeated Governor Preus, the regular Republican candidate, for Minnesota's vacant seat in the Senate. The radical farmer won by a substantial majority. The Democratic candidate, Mr. Carley, who admittedly had no chance, came in third because there was no one else in the race.

Governor Preus, the one hope of the Republicans to keep some sort of a working majority in the Senate, was obliged by the rigors of the campaign to attack the Fordney-McCumber tariff and to keep silence about the Administration. Nevertheless, he was defeated by the discontent of the Minnesota farmers and workingmen of the Iron Range district, and by the vigorous campaigning of a capable politician.

Magnus--everybody in Minnesota including himself calls him Magnus--won on a platform of Government control (in favor of the farmers) of railroads, coal mines, Federal Reserve Bank. He is for a cash soldier bonus, heavier income surtaxes, excess profits taxes, restriction of the power of the courts in granting injunctions against labor, better prices for farm products, no lowering of wages, no entangling alliances.

The new Senator has a tremendous voice. "You see," he explains, "I used to be a glassblower before I was a farmer and blowing glass makes big lungs and that is what I have got."

During his campaign he spoke in shirt sleeves and suspenders. When he got into action, with one rip, he tore off his collar and tie and threw them on the ground. "Don't get nervous,' he would shout, "I will remove nothing else whatsoever."

"My voice is all in," became one of his preludes, and then he would roar: "I tell you, Magnus Johnson knows what is the matter. I got a pretty good farm and I got a good-sized mortgage on it and I got a wife and children and I got 24 cows, and my wife and children milk those cows, too. . . . Jake [Governor Preus] is a lawyer, and I'm glad he is running against me. I tell you, friends, Magnus is a lucky cuss."

Correspondents were in accord as to the new Senator's dialect. He said for himself: "I ain't ignorant and a lot of this stuff that you read in the papers making me say things I didn't is all bunk. ... I didn't say that I didn't give a dam about books. I mean, I didn't say it that way. Some books ain't worth readin' and some are. I ain't got much time for 'em, but I would read 'em if I had time to read 'em.'' As for his favorite author, he declared: "I ain't going to say that, because I ain't going to show no preference."

His opinions:

On President Harding: "He is not a big enough man for the job.

On Woodrow Wilson: "I thought he was a fine President. . . . Wilson got the big head in the last two years of his term. . . ."

On Henry Cabot Lodge: "Large (Lodge) is a diplomat. He says things to get his way, but I think he tries to tell the truth."

On Hiram Johnson: "I thought Yohnson was a true blue progressive once, but I'm getting damn suspicious of him lately; he's keeping too mum."

On Robert M. La Follette:' "I think he is a big man, but I never said that he or anybody else could lead me."

On being asked to name the "most representative statesman: "Brookhart, he's a big statesman."

On the League and the World Court: "I'm agin both of them. We ought to stay home and mind our own business.'"

On his election: "I beat that feller. I am in the United States Senate. What do you think of that !"