Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 98, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 April 1915 — MAYOR JOHNSON THROWS HAT IN RING [ARTICLE]

MAYOR JOHNSON THROWS HAT IN RING

Man Who Has Made Gary a Belter City to Seek Republican Nomination for Governor. Republican editors of the tenth congressional district gathered at the Gary Hotel Saturday evening and were served a delightful dinner by Londlord Sommers, who was the host and personally bore all the expense of the dinner. President Homer J. Carr, of the Gary Tribune, called the meeting to discuss some of the features of the primary law passed by the last legislature. Candidates are already bobp tmck and fast and editors are besieged with requests for “write-ups” and “bouquets.” Without some general plan of action it is very certain that the many candidates could not get anything like a square deal in the matter of publicity and it was agreed that it would be unfair to publish free of charge a lot of plate matter advertising ths qualities of one of the candidates and not have anything to say about the candidates who were unable to buy the plate. It was decided to hold another meeting in Chicago and to inform the plate makers that when they solicit the candidates for the plate orders, they must include the newspapers in making the price, for the plate manufacturers can not sell our publicity without paying us for it. Papers for a number of years have been imposed upon by plate houses who by many schemes have secured advertising pay that should have gone to the newspapers. There should be a general movement on the part of newspapers to shut out this class of advertising. Following the dinner Editor Carr announced the candidacy of. Mayor Johnson for the republican nomination for governor. Mayor Johnson was present and made a very pleasing speech, impressing the editors very favorably. Mayor Johnson is the man who defeated Torn Knotts for mayor and he has made a good record in compelling respect for laws in that city. Congressman Will R. Wood, who was to have been there, was prevented by the lateness of the afternoon train. This also prevented others from being there. Steps were taken by £he editors to hold a picnic in July at Cedar Lake and there will be a number of guests at that affair. Following the meeting the editors went to the Harrison chib rooms and spent a short time. The cl,ub was organized for political purposes and has offices, pool arid billiard tables, a good sized hall for meetings and is located on Broadway near the city's center. The editor saw Lawson Meyer and Frank B. Meyer. Lawson is the superintendent of the telephone company and Frank B. has a mighty nice drugstore on Broadway, near Ninth avenue. While in his store Police Officer Dick Pruitt came in. He formerly lived in Remington and has been on the police force for about three shears. He is about 6 feet 2 inches in height and is regarded one of that city's most efficient officers. On' 1 the street we ran across A. Beasley, formerly of Remington, who is now engaged in the photography business in Gary. His work consists largely of postcard size pictures and his customers are foreigners. He is doing very well but thinks he would like to be back \in Jasper county again. We inquired about W. F. Hodges, formerly an attorney in this city. He has made a fine success there and owns two fine brick buildings on I Broadway and another just off that street. Gary looks better than it did only two or three years ago, having brushed a little of the newness off and become more settled. There are a number of vacant buildings, however, right on Broadway and lots of empty fiats and houses. The shutting down of the big steel mills was responsible for the conditions and people are all hoping that things will pick up some this summer but are not expecting a complete revival of business until there is another national election and a republican installed in the white house.