Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1901-07-25
The Heppner Gazette
THU RSDAY, JULY 25, 1901.
AhENT TOM JOHNSON.

At the close Of the civil war dis.
charged confederate soldier, with hit
wife and family, trudged weari.y over
the foothills OF Kentucky from theiJ
little homestead in the village OF
Georgetown to Staunton, Va, for pro.
lection, writes Robert Mackay. The
family consisted Of two boys bright,
cheerful fellows. One was tired and
sore from the continued tramp over
the hard roadways, but the other was
helping him az best he could and urg-
ing him on to the place where rest
awaited them. At the same time he
was encouraging his d0wnhearted faith
or and mother with kind words.
''Don't mind, pa" he said; 81 kin
sci papers an will give you all |
make"
Today that boy is mentioned as a
candidate for president of the United
States. He is Tom l.. Johnson, mayor
Of Cleveland, o. When Tom johnson
told his father that he would sell pa
pers to help him along he was just ii
years old. In the five weeks imme-
diately following Lees surrender ne
proved that he had the head OF iinan-
cier. In that period ne earned sS8.
There was great thirst for news in
StauntUn, but once day only was 1t
in communication with the outside
world, and then it was by railroad.
Tom saw his chance for monopoly in
papers and straightway cornered the
market He made the friendship OF
the conductor Of Staunton's daily train,
who turned over to him all the papers
For five weeks he held this monopoly,
selling daily papers for ID cents each.
Three years later Tom went to work
in rolling mill in Louisville, at a
small salary. In the same Office with
him was another boy, Arthur j. Mox'
ham, who later became his business
partner For econom na reasons the
managers decided that one of the boys
had to 20. When it came to choice
Moxham was retained, and johnson
WAS turned out to begin over again.
Louisville had a ramshackle, broken
down street railroad, the cars Of which
were drawn by mules, when Tom John
son applied there for work. Recently
he sold his interest IN that railroad at
a handsome profit, after being, for l3
years, its largest stockholder, and
chiefly instrumental in changing II
from mule to electric power.
After young johnson had been con.
nected with the railway few weeks
its president, Biderman DUPONT, no.
ticed him picking up some pieces OF
scrap iron and deposlting them in a
barrel that stood near the entrance to
the ear shops.
what are you doing that for?"
asked Mr.. DUPONT, rather sternly.
"Why, sir" said Tom, a little em-
barrassed, there is no use wasting
these pieces OF iron. The company
may want to have them melted over,
some day.
Mr.. DUPONT went into his Office and
thought He sent for Tom, and said
81 just think | have some work for a
young man like YOU How would you
like TO stay in the office and have
your salary raised s. a week. Then
Tom l.. johnson went up like a rocket;
but, unlike many rockets, be stayed
up. He quickly rose from position to
position from Office boy TO chief cash
ier; and, on his seventeenth birthday
he was made superintendent OF the
road. Then he began a system that
improved the road and put ii on pay
ing basis. He improved the passenger
accommodations and reduced the ex-
penses. Three years az perIntendent
of this road made him long for wider |
fields OF action. He told his employers |
that his scope was too limited. Mr.. |
DUPONT had every confidence in his |
protege. He knew that the ambitious |
young man would try TO succeed hon
estly.
One morning tine office boy told Mr.. !
Johnson that Mr.. DUPONT wanted !
to see him. johnson entered the pres
ident's private office, little dreaming
o, ,all that was in store for him, With
out rising from his chair Mr., DUPONT
handed his youthful superintendent a
certified check for $50 900, with the in
formation that he was honorably dis.
charged, and could try his fortune in
the open mart.
"But the security" queried Tom
Johnson.
"Your word is enough for me, ~ said
Mr.. DUPONT, eff YOU live | know
You'll day it back il YOU die, whv,
I'll be out Just so much. But YOU II
i've, Tom; and now, 90 in and win. -
Later Tom Johnson had the pleasure
If associating two OF Mr.. duPont's sons
n some OF his many business ventures.
With the generous loan the young
inancier organized a triumvirate for
he purchase Of the street railways
n indianapolis, making the first step
n the course that enabled him 10 alb
Iorb the street car lines. of Cleveland,
Detroit, ~. Louis and other cities.
Mr.. Johnson has no business in
erests today. He is many times a