my memories of eighty years-第51章

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n　a　very　drastic　way　in　the　strike　of　1892　and　its　settlement。　　Being　very　arbitrary；　he　had　his　own　standards。　　For　instance；　I　was　appealed　to　by　many　old　brakemen　and　conductors　whom　he　had　discharged。　　I　mention　one　particularly；　who　had　been　on　the　road　for　twenty…five　years。　　Voorhees's　answer　to　me　was：　　〃These　old　employees　are　devoted　to　Toucey；　my　predecessor；　and　for　efficient　work　I　must　have　loyalty　to　me。〃

I　reversed　his　order　and　told　him　I　would　begin　to　discharge；　if　necessary；　the　latest　appointments；　including　himself；　keeping　the　older　men　in　the　service　who　had　proved　their　loyalty　to　the　company　by　the　performance　of　their　duties。

Mr。　Voorhees　became　afterwards　vice…president　and　then　president　of　the　Philadelphia　and　Reading。　　With　experience　added　to　his　splendid　equipment　and　unusual　ability　he　became　one　of　the　best　executives　in　the　country。

Mr。　John　M。　Toucey；　who　had　come　up　from　the　bottom　to　be　general　superintendent　and　general　manager；　was　a　hard　student。　　His　close　contact　with　his　fellow　employees　gave　him　wonderful　control　over　men。　　He　supplemented　his　practical　experience　by　hard　study　and　was　very　well　educated。　　Though　self…taught；　he　had　no　confidence　in　the　graduates　of　the　professional　schools。

In　selecting　an　assistant；　one　of　them　told　me　that　Toucey　subjected　him　to　a　rigid　examination　and　then　said：　　〃What　is　your　railroad　career？〃

〃I　began　at　the　bottom；〃　answered　the　assistant；　〃and　have　filled　every　office　on　my　old　road　up　to　division　superintendent；　which　I　have　held　for　so　many　years。〃

〃That　is　very　fine；〃　said　Toucey；　〃but　are　you　a　graduate　of　the　Troy　Technical　School？〃

〃No；　sir。〃

〃Of　the　Stevens　Tech。？〃

〃No；　sir。〃

〃Of　Massachusetts　Tech。？〃

〃No；　sir。〃

〃Then　you　are　engaged；〃　said　Toucey。

Mr。　Toucey　was　well　up…to…date；　and　differed　from　a　superintendent　on　another　road　in　which　I　was　a　director。　　The　suburban　business　of　that　line　had　increased　very　rapidly；　but　there　were　not　enough　trains　or　cars　to　accommodate　the　passengers。　　The　overcrowding　caused　many　serious　discomforts。　　I　had　the　superintendent　called　before　the　board　of　directors；　and　said　to　him：　　〃Why　don't　you　immediately　put　on　more　trains　and　cars？〃

〃Why；　Mr。　Depew；〃　he　answered；　〃what　would　be　the　use？　　They　are　settling　so　fast　along　the　line　that　the　people　would　fill　them　up　and　overcrowd　them　just　as　before。〃

I　was　going　over　the　line　on　an　important　tour　at　one　time　with　G。　H。　Burroughs；　superintendent　of　the　Western　Division。　　We　were　on　his　pony　engine；　with　seats　at　the　front；　alongside　the　boiler；　so　that　we　could　look　directly　on　the　track。　　Burroughs　sat　on　one　side　and　I　on　the　other。　　He　kept　on　commenting　aloud　by　way　of　dictating　to　his　stenographer；　who　sat　behind　him；　and　praise　and　criticism　followed　rapidly。　　I　heard　him　utter　in　his　monotonous　way：　　〃Switch　misplaced；　we　will　all　be　in　hell　in　a　minute；〃　and　then　a　second　afterwards　continue：　　〃We　jumped　the　switch　and　are　on　the　track　again。　　Discharge　that　switchman。〃

Major　Zenas　Priest　was　for　fifty　years　a　division　superintendent。　It　was　a　delightful　experience　to　go　with　him　over　his　division。　He　knew　everybody　along　the　line；　was　general　confidant　in　their　family　troubles　and　arbiter　in　neighborhood　disputes。　　He　knew　personally　every　employee　and　his　characteristics　and　domestic　situation。　　The　wives　were　generally　helping　him　to　keep　their　husbands　from　making　trouble。　　To　show　his　control　and　efficiency；　he　was　always　predicting　labor　troubles　and　demonstrating　that　the　reason　they　did　not　occur　was　because　of　the　way　in　which　he　handled　the　situation。

Mr。　C。　M。　Bissell　was　a　very　efficient　superintendent；　and　for　a　long　time　in　charge　of　the　Harlem　Railroad。　　He　told　me　this　incident。　　We　decided　to　put　in　effect　as　a　check　upon　the　conductors　a　system　by　which　a　conductor；　when　a　fare　was　paid　on　the　train；　must　tear　from　a　book　a　receipt　which　he　gave　to　the　passenger；　and　mark　the　amount　on　the　stub　from　which　the　receipt　was　torn。　　Soon　after　a　committee　of　conductors　called　upon　Mr。　Bissell　and　asked　for　an　increase　of　pay。　　〃Why；〃　Bissell　asked；　〃boys；　why　do　you　ask　for　that　now？〃

After　a　rather　embarrassing　pause　the　oldest　conductor　said：　〃Mr。　Bissell；　you　have　been　a　conductor　yourself。〃

This　half　century　and　six　years　during　which　I　have　been　in　the　service　of　the　New　York　Central　Railroad　has　been　a　time　of　unusual　pleasure　and　remarkably　free　from　friction　or　trouble。　In　this　intimate　association　with　the　railroad　managers　of　the　United　States　I　have　found　the　choicest　friendships　and　the　most　enduring。　　The　railroad　manager　is　rarely　a　large　stockholder；　but　he　is　a　most　devoted　and　efficient　officer　of　his　company。　He　gives　to　its　service；　for　the　public；　the　employees；　the　investors；　and　the　company；　all　that　there　is　in　him。　　In　too　many　instances；　because　these　officers　do　not　get　relief　from　their　labor　by　variation　of　their　work；　they　die　exhausted　before　their　time。

The　story　graphically　told　by　one　of　the　oldest　and　ablest　of　railroad　men；　Mr。　Marvin　Hughitt；　for　a　long　time　president　and　now　chairman　of　the　Chicago　and　Northwestern　Railway；　illustrates　what　the　railroad　does　for　the　country。　　Twenty…five　years　ago　the　Northwestern　extended　its　lines　through　Northern　Iowa。　　Mr。　Hughitt　drove　over　the　proposed　extension　on　a　buckboard。　　The　country　was　sparsely　settled　because　the　farmers　could　not　get　their　products　to　market；　and　the　land　was　selling　at　six　dollars　per　acre。

In　a　quarter　of　a　century　prosperous　villages　and　cities　had　grown　up　along　the　line；　and　farms　were　selling　at　over　three　hundred　dollars　per　acre。　　While　this　enormous　profit　from　six　dollars　per　acre　to　over　three　hundred　has　come　to　the　settlers　who　held　on　to　their　farms　because　of　the　possibilities　produced　by　the　railroad；　the　people　whose　capital　built　the　road　must　remain　satisfied　with　a　moderate　return　by　way　of　dividend　and　interest；　and　without　any　enhancement　of　their　capital；　but　those　investors　should　be　protected　by　the　State　and　the　people　to　whom　their　capital　expenditures　have　been　such　an　enormous　benefit。



XIX。　　RECOLLECTIONS　FROM　ABROAD

I　know　of　nothing　more　delightful　for　a　well…read　American　than　to　visit　the　scenes　in　Great　Britain　with　which　he　has　become　familiar　in　his　reading。　　No　matter　how　rapidly　he　may　travel；　if　he　goes　over　the　places　made　memorable　by　Sir　Walter　Scott　in　the　〃Waverley　Novels；〃　and　in　his　poems；　he　will　have　had　impressions；　thrills；　and　educational　results　which　will　be　a　pleasure　for　the　rest　of　his　life。　　The　same　is　true　of　an　ardent　admirer　of　Dickens　or　of　Thackeray；　in　following　the　footsteps　of　their　heroes　and　heroines。　　I　gained　a　liberal　education　and　lived　over　again　the　reading　and　studies　of　a　lifetime　in　my　visits　to　England；　Ireland；　Scotland；　and　Wales。　　I　also　had　much　the　same　experience　of　vivifying　and　spiritualizing　my　library　in　France；　Italy；　Germany；　Belgium；　and　Holland。

London　is　always　most　hospitable　and　socially　the　most　delightful　of　cities。　　While　Mr。　Gladstone　was　prime　minister　and　more　in　the　eyes　of　the　world　than　any　statesman　of　any　country；　a　dinner　was　given　to　him　with　the　special　object　of　having　me　meet　him。　The　ladies　and　gentlemen　at　the　dinner　were　all　people　of　note。　Among　them　were　two　American　bishops。　　The　arrangement　made　by　the　host　and　hostess　was　that　when　the　ladies　left　the　dining…room　I　should　take　the　place　made　vacant　alongside　Mr。　Gladstone；　but　one　of　the　American　bishops；　who　in　his　younger　days　was　a　famous　athlete；　made　a　flying　leap　for　that　chair　and　no　sooner　landed　than　he　at　once　proposed　to　Mr。　Gladstone　this　startling　question：　〃As　the　bishop　of　the　old　Catholic　Church　in　Germany　does　not　recognize　the　authority　of　the　pope；　how　can　he　receive　absolution？〃　and　some　other　abstruse　theological　questions。　　This　at　once　aroused　Mr。　Gladstone；　who；　when　once　started；　was　stopped　with　difficulty；　and　there　was　no　pause　until　the　host　announced　that　the　gentlemen　should　join　the　ladies。　　I　made　it　a　point　at　the　next　dinner　given　for　me　to　meet　Mr。　Gladstone　that　there　should　be　no　American　bishops　present。

At　another　time；　upon　arriving　at　my　hote