The age-herald., 1897-10-12

comnsrce by building railway lines over the Alleg-hany mountains.
 The course Of the gneat east ard west hnes was in the hands of three men Commodore Vanderbilt, Thomas A. Sc5tt. president of the Pennsylvania, and John w. Garrett, president cf the Baltimcre and Ohio. The commodore demanded equal rates to all cities on the Atlantic seaboard and put the decision Into ef- ect. The result was one of the most dfs- structdve of railway wars There is no greater fallacy than the popular idea that railroad wars benefit the public It is true that rates and fares go to very Tow figures, but they are wildly fiuctuat- ing figures, while stability and publicity of charges are the life of legitimate busi- ness. 1hs war made fortunes for those who could take advantage of these daily prices for the carriage of thsir products. ard bankrupted these who czuld not. It stimulated into feverish and unhealthy activity 8 few towns at competitive points, and dried up the industries and resources of numbeTless cities and val lageS on side lines or locally isolated. It was felt in every. farm house and fac oory between Chicago and St. Louis and the Atlantic cean. It demoraliZed Wall street and impoverished investors. The commodore's losses were immense, but he saw that unless the percentages were reduced New York was. doomed as the commercial and financial center of the country, and New Yorik's chief rail- way, in which aps had invested fortune and reputation would lose It's pr.ncipal revenues. The victory was substantial and permanent. and twenty years have Justified the statesmanshlp and wisdom of the policy.
 While building our state we were hero worshippeTs. At first our idols were Washington and his comratriots, then the giants of the senate ard party lelad- ers-Webster, Clay and Canloun-and firHlly the captains of industry. Com muriilties praised and petted and pitted th,dr capitalists against each other as we now do the champions of the ball field or the car Tine racing of the steam boats of these rival mirionaires drew whole populations to the river banks, who divided into eager and bitter partisans of their favorites. Commodore Vanderbilt and Daniel Drew. Thomas A. Scott and John ". Garrett had the cordial support and enthusiastic ad- miraticn of their several communities. This feeelDg was rapdly reversed as the corporation was substituted fer the in dividual.
 Experience teaches great operators the dangers of revealing their plans to any one. A sovereign will not share his prerogatives with a subject and man of great wealth intensely dislikes to have his friends grow rich. It may lose him their services or his importance may bs diminished by dividing his prestige.
 
 rich harvest 1t is very difficult for him not to feel that the money made was a loan from him to be repaid with interest. One of the most powerful men of his time once said to me, q have dona my best to keep those about me from getting much money, but if they had not got rich in spite of me they could not have staid with me-" These common quali- ties of the rich had many notifications with a self-relianit and original genius Q1adf ftrhi As railway sytem under his control expand ed he sought the assistance and asScca- tion of strong men from many depart ments of activity. He drew into this various companies a remarkable body of able and successful directors and man sgsrs. He was a keen judge of human nature and his cold, brilliant black eyes looked over and through men as they did horses. He was mercllesS to incom- petence or inefficaeney and tested to the utmost the powers of these who showed capa city. He never complimentedl or apparently saw the officer who wss more than doing his duty, but suddenly lifted lhim over the heads of the plain plodders. He gave the largest liberty to tha president or manager, and paid lit tie attention to details. or the inner working of the organization. If the re- suits were satisfactory the gossip and anonymous attacks which are always seelxink to undermine and destroy am
 
 with MT. Vanderbilt than to strengthen that official.
 Only an iron, constitution could have survived tps cea5eless activity ard sleepless work of the commodore until he had won his fortune. The most ex- raordinaTy thing connected with the ca- reer of this remarkable man is that alfs best work and greatest achievements were accomplished after he had p5ss d 70. He was worth about $2O.OOO,OOO when J1f, 1,1h1 IloJ Co 1Se scripture and he addsd over $S0, 900, 900 to 1t in the next twelve years. His day began at o clock among the horses he loved, and then until 2 that active brain and uneGTlng judgment were formulating plans covering the continent. He laft business behind in the office at 2, ard neither profit or loss oould tempt him to talk about it, until the next morning. At frs was spinning along behind his trotters. seeking tine excitement of squirt of speed with rival team The Thy Jimmie movements of these intelligent and highly trained thoroughbreds as they seemed to tread on ether and fly through the air gave him exquisite pleasure. As they passed and dis tanced horses famed for triumphs on many courses and brought on to beat him, this strikingly handsome and ap- parently stolid old man was kesnly en- joying that victory in competition which had been the mainspring of his career
 
 working in harmony with and excited to action by both the speed and dangers of the race brought to perfection before he dropped the reins upon these panting partners of his thoughts many a schsme which routed his enemies or revolution ized Wall street
 He received daily a buShel of begging letters. The man whose invention could be bought and millions made with a few 'thousands, the farmer whose mortgage was past due and who, if the mortgage was lifted, could pay the principal to his rescuer, though he could not meet the interest on it to the anortgagee, the wo- man whose husband was sitraying away, but who could hold airn to "a. happy home if she could buy the vine-clad cot tage around the corner the old man whose sands of life had nearly run out, and the young one who needed only fas- tle capital to become a capltalist, the church or college hopelessly in debt the girl whose future happiness would be wrecked unless she could have a trous- seau for marriage a!ad furniture for housekeeping, honest men and women, frauds, fools and cranlks-all needy and unable to breast the waves of adyersity