The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-02-20
DEATH OF 8. s. MERRILL.
Re BreAthed HIS Last on Sunday Morning
characteristics Of . Man Who Ross
from Brakeman to General Manager,

Characteristics of = Man Who Roas
from Brakeman to General Manager.
sherburne s. Merrill died in Milwa ukee at
1890 last Sunday morning, aged sixty seven
years. He suffered . third paralytic stroke
last Tuesday, and his death since that
time has been almost hourly expected.
To the thirty Thousand or more employees
Of the Chicago, Milwaukee h ST Pau Rail-
way company, General Manager Merrill was
commonly known as aThe Old Man." The
%sobriquet was an indication of the character
of the great manager, not of his age;
for the appellation originated in a
general and remarkable regard, which
the term itself indicates was flial in its char
acter. Probably no commander OF troops
ever welded an equal army of men SO thor
oughly loyal to q single individual. In proof
of this, it may be noted that strikes have
been entirely unknown to the experience of
the railway company which Mr.. Merrill has
developed from insignificant beginnings into
the greatest corporation OF it's kind on the
continent Only those who have had personal
acquaintance or often contact with MI. Mer-
rill can fully comprehend the degree OF
power which he could exercise over other
men, or bodies of men, ut his will.
The faculty was not based upon
diplomacy. for few men were more candidin
any sort of negotiations; it was not the result
of oratory or manners, for he was careless of
speech, and abrupt at all times; it did not
come from studied effort, for conscious
strength Of will and mind were Unborn in the
man. 1t was due wholly to his always evil
dent determination, as indicated In
the straightforwardlooking gray eye, the
firmly drawn lips and erect posture-he
was built in straight lines-to be just to him.
self as well as others. Suren 9Th of purpose
was always noticeable iu every line Of face,
glance of eye and gesture of person, no
matter how trivial the business at hand
might be. He lacked grace or dignity. but
made up for it tenfold by force of dignity.
These were lements which compelled re-
spect, but they do not wholly account for the
veneration in which he was held by all of his
subordinates. Back of all his mind and
will power was a natural adaptibility, SO 70
speak, to persons. IN his presence the new
est brakeman on the line would be relieved
of ell embarrassment-even if "the old man"
was venting his rage ut some dereliction of
duty-for there was always a subtle some
thing in the great managers manner
which seemed to say. stand on Your
own responsibility and be n man, is
all l ask of you!" In other words, without
the slightest tendency to familiarity, he
naturally treated every man in his employ as
though he considered him as good as a King
if he was good enough to occupy n place or
position with him. He elevated his men to
his own icvel-for the time being, ut least
instead of descending to theirs: and it made
hiAAh tAiS iNA'i IN wee. 80 %
SUCCESS IN PREVENTING STRIKES"
has long been noted, has been striven for
by other large employers. but has not been
achieved. And it is equally well known that
he has never been compelled to grant speci-
ned conditions when trouble has threatened.
During the great railway strikes OF Il few
years ago Mr.. Merrilrs management was
put to the test: Early one August morn
ing four or five hundred men marched
out OF the Chicago. Milwaukee Il st.
Paul shops in Milwaukee,, gathered at
their guild hall on Wisconsin street,
held q secIet meeting and resolved to
follow the example of their Chicago breth-
rem unless certain conditions OF time or pay
were changed to meet the demands of other
strikers Mr.. Merrill was, of course, appraised
immediately OF what was going ON. "Oh,"
back to work after they have appointed a.
committee to come and see the Old Man,"
Soon the communication of course one was
appointed-waited upon the manager. A
number of persons We're in Mr.. Merrill's
office when the committee arrived. and all
were requested to leave, Mr.. Merrill
saying: my boys always like to
see me alone ut our family gatherings"
The committee, composed of five men, was
met at the doorway by the manager, who ad-
dressed each and every by his sirname, and
invited them in with the remark: 'We must
hurry through this meeting, SO that you Gun
get back to work at l O'clock, implying. Of
course, that a strike was not among the pos
sibilitjes. In about ten minutes the COM
!, mittee came out. returned to their hall ond
reported that there was no use of thinking
about striking, ~for the Old Man wouldn't
: hear to it nohow.'
Does he agree to the demands Of the resolu-
, tion?" inquired one.
. NO. He wouldn't agree to anything, only
that he should expect us all to be at work when
he drives up that way this afternoon"
In the discussion that followed the COM
. mittee could not give any clear idea of the
why or wherefore, but unanimously argued
that they knew it would be best to return to
work, because the Old Man said so.n And
after two or three speakers had admitted
. that whatever the Old Man said was best.
: was always true" the meeting adjourned
. and the men returned TO work, confident
; that in some way Mr.. Merrill would set
= things right, in his own good time and pleas
), ure. This is a fair illustration of the BEGIN
d ming and end of all alabor troubles" between
Mr.. Merrill and his men.
q HIS RELATIONS WITH NEWSPAPER MEN.
IL required time, a reputation for accuracy
' and a favorable reputation generally on the
8 part of n newspaper man, before much prog
ress could be made toward the good graces
s of Mr.. Merrill. When John C. Gault was his
assistant the interviewer was invariably
capacity for talking long and famil-
iarly without letting any news e-
cape. Later B. G. Lennox. who has long
been n sort of good right hand to the
} great manager, has pretty effectually barred
i, the way between Merrill and reportorial in
> QUESTION. But when it did happen that Mr..
a Merrill was favorably disposed toward a par
= hcular reporter, he would take a good deal
! OF personal pleasure in affording that individ-
ual opportunities for scoops, being one of
I the Grew human beings who have existed out
i, SIDE the pale OF journalism and yet have been
' aole to comprehend the importance Of first
place IN the race for news Generally, he was
. considered by newspaper men about as hard
. to corner as Ben Butler or Vanderbilt How
ever, Mr.. Merrill fully appreciated the power
OF me press, and when he had news to give