St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-16
THE SUCCESSOR OF MERRILL.
Who He VIII be is the Question Being De-
bated in Railroad Circles.
The Union Pacific's Right to do a Telegraphic
Business Will be Contested.

Contest f,r MANAGEMENT of the 81. Paul.
Special to the Globe.
MILWAUKEE, Feb. 15.-Sinee the death of
General Manager Merrill Of the St. Paul
road, gossip has been rife as to his successor.
A number Of names are current on the lips
OF rumor in connection with
the position. They include the
present assistant general manager,
Roswell Miller, General Superin tendent
Clark, John G. Gault, one of the trunk line
arbitrators, and Ben G. Lennox, for many
years private secretary 10 Mr.. Merrill. In
railroad circles the choice is conceded to lie
between Mr.. Miller and Mr. Gault. The lat
ter has many warm friends, especially among
western stockholders, but the general opinion
among best informed railroad officials is that
the Gault faction, If 1t may be
so expressed, will not be strong enough to
effect anything more than q mild diversion
in favor of that gentleman. It is true that
Mr.. Gault has hundreds of warm friends all
along the line Of the road. But stock and
not friendship counts in the choice
of general manager, and the prepond
erance of the former is against Mr.. Gaut.
Mr.. Miller came to Milwaukee several years
ago, and until Mr.. Merrill's illness be occu-
pied the anamolous position of assistant to
the general manager. 1t was an open secret
that his coming, if not actually distasteful to
Mr.. Merrill, was at least against his advice.
Mr.. Miller's work, however, soon earned
him the confidence of the late
general manager, and it was
upon Mr.. Merrill's own advice and urgent
request that Mr.. Miller was advanced to the
position of assistant general manager with
full power last summer. His ability and able
handling of affairs since has been most sat
isfactory to western stockholders, at
whose head stands Mr. Mitchell. As
Mr.. Miller represents a strong eastern
syndicate, the com mbination of the two sec
tions on him Is assumed to be among the
most plausible possibilities of the annual
meeting.
Said prominent railroad man one day
this week: ''Roswell Miller is the coming
Paul road without doubt. He is one of tine
best inanciers among the railroad
officials of to day, and it is finances which
the stockholders look after the sharpest. A
good balance sheet at the end of the year
will cover many omissions IN operating
and with the force now employed not many
of these are likely to occur; besides Mr..
Miller was placed where he is By an eastern
syndicate, who appreciate his worth, and
whose influence is such that it cannot be ig-
nored.'
The opinion quoted above seems very
prevalent. The Office of assistant general
manager will probably be left vacant, as it
has been pointed out that the Office is an
anomaly. The operating of the road will
probably be trusted in the hands Of General
Superintendent Clark, as 1t has been for the
past year. Superintendent Clark is said By
railroad mento have few equals and no SUI
periors, as his skillful handling of the st.
Paul lines for the past year would clearly
indicate. In Office work Mr.. Miller would
probably continue TO avail himself Of the SER
vices Of Ben G. Lennox, who has been for
many years Mr.. Merrilrs private secretary.
Mr.. Lennox is credited with knowing more
about the Milwaukee & st. Paul road than
any man now living, which renders his SER
vices invaluable to general manager, who
ever he may be.