The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1900-11-15
THE YOUNG NAN s CHANGE.

The person who declares that the
young men of today have mo
chance;" that the large corporations
make it impossible for them to rise,
either shows hopeless igorance of
modern economic and industrial con-
ditons or else he wilfully and inten-
tionally tries to deceive. The fol-
lowing is from the Railway Official
Guide aud tells how the men who oc-
cupy positions of prominence in rail
way circles have risen by regular
promotion from the ranks:
"It appears to be favorite argu-
ment in these days with a certain
class of people that the large combi-
nations of capital have cut from the
young men all opportunity for advan-
cement The only way to prove the
truth of a proposition of this charac-
ter is TO apply it to known facts; that
is, to facts that are known to eacn in
dividual from his own experiences. If
the theory is not borne cut in the
facts which a man kno We FOR himself
he may we'll doubt whether it holds
true elsewhere.
"The consol dation of railroad lines
into large systems offers q good op-
portunity for testing the proposition
under conditions with which railroad
men are all familiar; and the position
of general manager or general super
intendent of such road ia one in
which the honors and emoluments
are such as to crafty any reasonable
ambition. With view to ascertain
ing whether "a young man has no
chance" TO win one of these positions
compilation has been made of the
careers of the general managers and
general superintendent of those
roads which aggregate about one
thousand miles or over. These are
about sixty in number, and the re-
cords of the individuals who hold the
chief administrative positions show
that in every case the men have risen
| from the ranks. OF the sixty, eigh-
teen began as telegraph operators,
| twelve as rodmen or chainmen on the
engineer corps, IL as clerks in general
offices or agen 8, four as apprentices
in shops, two as locomotive tiremen
two as laborers, one as switchmau
and one as water boy. These mer
have all attained their present pro
motion through the grades of the ser
vice, and the intermediate ranks ars
now filled by men who have likewise
| once held the subordinate places anC
stand next in order for promotion Il
the chief positions. AS matter o
| fact at no time in the history of the
country have there ever been offereC
/ 80
sibility in railroad service as are nov
to be found under the present mod'
of organization. A mans opportunit.
for advancement is limited onl' b
his abilities. This fact ia not con
fined to the operating departms n
alone, but in the departments of ira
ffic and finance the same law of pro
motion holds good. The position o
president from it's nature is some
times financial, as the erepresentativ
of investors, but the tendency NOR,
and more, as exemplified by man
recent ele tions, is to take the exc
cutive head, not from outside finan
cial interests, but by the promotion
of a we'll trained railroad man VIII
has made his way up from the ranks
OF the presidents of the roads who's
general managers are quot d above
sixteen began as clerks in generS
offices. six were originally telegrap
operators, others were apprentice
in the shops, and one at least was
messenger boy in telegraph office
SIN the face of these well-know
facts these prophets of discourage
ment are confronted with a prett
serious proposition to prove the
point among railroad men,"