National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-19
THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAIL
ROAD KING


George Alfred Townsend writes as follows to
the Chicago Tribune:
Writing in the Library Of Congress last week
1 saw portly figure at the head Of body Of
strangers, walking up and down and explaining
things. recognized that rubicund face, blush
gray eye, and solid, unanxious tread and pace
the Baltimore and Ohio railway magnate, John
W. Garrett.
He has been in Europe for more than two years
In the interim his fellOW-eapitalist and friend,
Jno. Hopkins, has passed to the grave During his
ness, Garrett wrote by every mail, ana had the
epitomiZed work sent out to him. His kinsiolks-
John King and Mr.. Keyser-haVe been at the
quarters OF the presidency in his absence, King
exercising o yieerOyalty, and keyser moving up
and down the line and through the commercial
whatever the reasons or philosophy, this man
agemept Of this railway is vindicated above
everything in the Western World. The great
panic swept over the country year ago, and
drove Vanderbilt to Wall street and Scott to pro-
test, while these Scotch Irish Dutehmen OF Balt-
more were as obliyiOus Of the panic as that Fred
erek county man who, having plowed all day,
said, as he came home:
al drinks 1 feels some little bebbIes in my
boots" and forthwith hauls out pair Of shutters
and a cart-Wrench.
There was no scrip or water in CARROTS
boots. All the stock there was old and dry.
That is the only railroad in America" said
Shanly, the Canadian who built the HOOsac Tun-
mel, .'able in any contingency to take care Of It.
self.n
The power of this railroad is no secret. 1t con-
sists in learning whatever is good from the pres
ent age, and forgetting nothing that was good in
former ones Once or twice there has been
movement TO divide more earnings or split the
stock little thinner, but the absolutism and the
old-fas hioned sagaeity Of Garrett have prevented
this going through.
His motto has been, Economy in every DETAIL
from pound Of nails up" Time says Gar
rett, sis longer than speculation. Sell nothing;
restrict dividends for the sake of the long credit
OF the Stock all wait together, stockholders and
oficersl Invest the surplus in the system. Let
nOlitieR alOue.a Neither cOQcilate IL antaw-
Onize IL. Particularly do not corrupt IL, or you
will get its appetite on edge and IL will gnaW you
all your days. Responsibility in the working
force; conservatism in the management: patience
in the stock list. Do not fool with loealisms
Side branches must construct themselves. Push
for large terminal points, and the side places must
direction
Mr.. Garrett took this road a short time before
the war. He vas provision dealer, the son Of
q banker, SeOtch-Irish Presbyterian on one side,
PennsylYapia German on the other. He had
hard, round head, slow and gracious manner,
large, rolling, acute plausbility, which reminded
people of Holland burgomaster. He was never
Of reaection he gave to every second Of speech
except when he had q great occasion, and then he
had done the thinking for weeks before. He was
never deficient in confidence, but 10 was dlplO-
matte and graduated, and 1t embraced people
unctuously instead Of carrying them by storm.
His pertinaeity was indeseribabIe. He returned
and returned again to the same point, and by
weight and the leaning power, not attritlon or
intrigue carried the position persisted until 1t
was lOsL. ne uAQ ballluloEe bpptLiLco lOE
food, and his steady animal heat e0unteracted
any Intellectual relapse or melancholy, II he
could be capable Of it. Between work and eat
ing, they say, his organism for time grew m
strung. He worked on full stomach for 6fteen
years a round this railroad, and then q tendency
10 vertigo became manifest that he had TO give
over and go TO Europe. He told me that ne had
perfectly capable assistants, and should not re-
sumo his labor with so much Willfulness.
Garrett is essentially q merchant He has led
this railroad from thirty-five cents on the stock
up to sl.35 and moro, where It stands, like Mo
hammed's eofin, against the ceiling. From a
road, badly OF, between Baltimore and Wheeling
IL Is now road 20 Stanton, to Danville, 20 Gin
einnati, to Pittsburg, to Sandusky, to Chicago
1t may yet be . road TO Omaha and New Orleans.
lts ambition stops at Baltimore. In that city
there is an undertone Of feeling that John W.
Garrett may become q candidate for the Presi-
dency Of the United States.