The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-28
ABOUT RAILWAY KINGS.
Giving Some of Their Conoeits and
Eccentrioities.
The Vanderbilt Personalfty-why Depew
Was Made President-Sam Sloan
as He Ie-Gould's Little Joke
James j. Hill.
fooPYRIGRT, 1924

ICSFARANshAr hOS~2
Railway kings, like common people,
have their conceits and eccentricities.
The presidents of most roads who have
to hustle for proxies to control each an
nual election and perform the antics of
japanese juggler to keep their heads
on are necessarily conservative and dip
lomatic-
81 labored thirty years to get to be
president of this road" said veteran,
land have struggled ever since to re-
tain my job Of actual work for the
company have never had time to do
any"
The fortunate few, however, who
have personal grip on majority OF
the stock of the companies over which
they preside are as autocratic as the
car of Russia or his well-fed majesty
of the Cannibal islands. If such men
have any strong characteristics they are
sure to show them
People of powerful personality are
the Vanderbilts. They never traded on
anybody's misfortune, they never at
tackled anybody's credit and in all finan-
c1al battles they have invariably been
arrayed on the side Of progress. With
cordial detestation Of shams and in
EQUITIES, the father and grandfather
snubbed demagogues and the parasites
of the lobby, and turned cold shoulder
upon the horces of business men who
sought dishonest advantage of their
neighbors through the medium of spe-
tcial rates.
Instead of public vote Of thanks this
straightforward course brought upon
the heads Of the vanderbilts q storm Of
Indignation. Hated and nasligneG, they
realized the need of diplomacy. They
were themselves too blunt to be diplo-
matte, and engaged Chaunoey NJ. Depew
to assume the role. This was twenty.
FIVE years ago.
Me. Depew didn't know a way-bin
from awater tank, but he was talented,
and possessed of infinite capa-
city to learn. He was just the man to
cause righteous in itself
but misunderstood.
Depew went to work with VIII and
year by year gained in public esteem
and creps deeper and deeper into the
confidence of his employers. One day
trivial circumstance intensified the con-
dition of affairs which he was endeavor-
ing to overcome aud pushed him still
farther TO the front.
In an interview with Chicago re-
porter YIN. 81. Vanderbilt was reported
as saying: 1.-The public be damned"
The newspapers were fullcf it; the peo-
pie howlod with rage. That Mr.. Van
derbilt ever said such thing has been
denied. That he said it with the AFRO
giant motive imputed to him is absurd.
A bout that time several prominent rail- |
road men had been asking public con-
with the hypocritical preten-
zion that they were asking them solely |
for the public good Mr.. Vanderbilt
scorned such hypocrisy. He was bust
ness man, supplying certain needs of
the people On a scale more gigantic than |
the world had ever before dreamed of,
but he never denied that what he !
wanted was the legitimate profits of the !
If heever said: 1.-THE public |
be damned" it was merely his blunt |
way OF repudiating current hypocrisy. |
The popular interpretation of the I'M
diplomatic remark was an outrageous
Misrepresentation.
There is no doubt, however, that
those four words induced Mr.. Wander
bilt TO make Depew president of the
New York Central railroad instead of
himself or one of his sons
A similar acknowledgment Of the
power of public opinion comes from the
big Reading combination, which has
given vice presidency to John Russell
Young, the distinguished journalist and
diplomat.
Unique among railway monarchs
stands Hon. Samuel Sloan, president of
the Lackawanna. He writes his name
simply SAM" not that he wishes to be
familiar with himself, but 1t saves
time. Vouchers and minor documents