April 28, 1934
T H
Е
STATE
Page Nineteen
LEGISLATIVE
PERSONALITIES
★
Revenue commissioner
лисп
J. Maxwell’s self-admitted “sen¬
timental reflections” the other
day anent the big increase in the sales
of marriage licenses in North Caro¬
lina in recent months brings to mind
that noble legislator, Robert Grady
Johnson, of Pender, a gentleman I
first got to know in the 1929 General
Assembly when the lawmakers so ar¬
ranged it that it was quite difficult to
get married in the state; if one could
believe some tilings that were said at
the time.
Robert Grady Johnson, member of
the past three sessions of the General
Assembly, was a bachelor in 1929 and
he is still one unless he betakes him¬
self off and marries before this article
appears.
At the moment I do not recall the
sponsor of the marriage law bills that
were placed before the 1929 Assembly,
but I do recall that Mrs. Kate Burr
Johnson, then State Commissioner of
Public Welfare, and some of the more
prominent club women had something
to do with their being placed before
legislators who at the time had no wor¬
ries about sales taxes, unbalanced bud¬
gets or other legislative nightmares
that have since helped to place gray
hairs on the head of Mr. Johnson and
others who served in the 1931 and
1933 sessions.
Senator Johnson, who transferred
to the House in 1931 and lias been
there ever since, must have seen in
the bill, which required love-smitten
couples under age to give notice at
least five days before the marital knot
was tied, an obstacle that Master
Cupid would find difficult to hurdle.
He did not tear his hair out by the
roote and dash up and down the sen¬
ate aisles or damage the senate furni¬
ture with poundings of his fists in op¬
posing such legislation, but did let
his fellow senators know he did not
think much of what they sought to do.
His neighboring countryman, Sen¬
ator James A. Bridger, of Bladen,
then short of 30 and at the time single,
joined him in opposing the bill, but
the efforts of the two eminent bach¬
elors could not stop enactment of the
measure.
ROBERT GRADY JOHNSON
- ★ -
In the 1933 session, Robert (Jradv
Johnson had the pleasure of voting
to repeal the five-day marriage banns
and when he read of Commissioner
Maxwell's sentimental reflections over
the pick-up in the sale of marriage
licenses he must have been pleased.
After all, Mr. Johnson is n friend of
Master Cupid even if he does have
no personal dealings with him.
But it was no desire to Ik- frivolous
that led Pender's Mr. Johnson to op¬
pose the marriage banns bill. He fore¬
saw that too many restrictions placed
upon securing marriage licenses in
North Carolina would result in couples
with marriage on their minds to hie
themselves off to Virginia, South Caro¬
lina or elsewhere to have the neces¬
sary knots tied and this stato would
suffer a loss in revenue. He seems to
have been a good prophet, although,
purc-in-heart Democrat that he is, he
cheerfully gives Franklin Delano
Roosevelt some of the credit for help¬
ing Master Cupid in his work.
I confess to a liking for Robert
Grady Johnson and his avowed deter¬
mination to seek election as Speaker
of the 1935 House not only intrigues
and pleases me, but worries me as well,
for at least two other good friends,
No. 29
Robert Grady Johnson
By
Wnde IT. Lucas
★
Laurie McEaehern. of Moke, and Ott-
way Binns Moss, of Nash, also plan
to offer for the position. I am glo •
I don’t have to vote for any one of
them.
Messrs. Johnson and McEaehern
(the latter, incidentally, is also a man
of a single bliss) frequently find them¬
selves in Raleigh at the same time and
the way they carry on with each othc"
would never cause a stranger to
1ю-
liove that they are candidates for the
highest and most honornhle position
which the North Carolina House of
Representatives can confer upon one
of its members. They are very close
friends and if either is elected Speaker
of the next House the other won’t lie
tempted to shoot himself because of
what happened.
The “Gentleman from Pender,” pre¬
maturely gray for a man of his age.
headed the 1931 House committee on
salaries and foes, a very important
committee that at times passes on local
measures involving fees and salaries
to be paid county officers. He did what
Speaker Willis Smith considered a
good job. Speaker R. L. Harris asked
him to become chairman of the 1933
House committee on insurance and Mr.
Johnson took a prominent part in mak¬
ing a number of changes in the insur¬
ance statutes.
Mr. Johnson, be it said to his ever¬
lasting credit, is not the type of legis¬
lator who seems to be eternally on his
feet while the House is in session.
He seldom speaks and when he doe*
he never orates, but once on his feet
he does not have to grope in a blind
sort of fashion for words lie wants
to use. He says what he has to say in
a clear, concise fashion and then take*
his seat. He can take good care of
himself or for the measure he is cham¬
pioning in debate and members of the
1931 and 1933 House sessions know
I am speaking the truth when I make
such a statement.
If he is successful in his quest of
the speakership next January, the
good people of the State will know
that no Huey Long is handling the
reins of the 1935 House.
