The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-30
ROSE BY ACCIDENTS
TWO MEN MOVED UP IN THE
WORLD THROUGH GOOD LUCK.
STORY OF ODD PROMOTIONS
Hotel Clerk and Railroad Man Seemed
to Be Drawn Forward by
the Favors Of a For
tune.

d -arYou often hear stories about how
men who hold responsible positions
earned them by working up from the
bottom and all that sort of thing, and
they are probably usually true, but
there are exceptions" began Thomas
Stone as he started in to support an ar
fgument to a party of friends at the
Butte this morning.
'I know one man." continued the
speaker. "who is a hotel clerk in one of
the largest hostelries in the east and he
was not taken into the position be-
cause he had any particular reputation
for his qualifications to fill the place.
He is stading today behind one of the
country; in his shirt front is a stone
that would be a sign of prosperity in
any land on earth and yet that fellow
never had any experience as a hotel
clerk until he got his present position
A little over ten years ago the hotel
where he is employed opened and
through some slip he was accepted as
one of the guests and credit was ex-
tended to him. For over month he
boarded at the place and if there were
any good signs about his conduct ten
dency to settle his bill was not among
them. He was engaged for the most
part in reducing the supply Of rye whis-
key and appeared to be very little good
anyhow When his account had reached
such proportions that the management
of the house did not care for his custom
any longer, he was visited by the man.
ager Of the hotel and asked if he did not
want to try it behind the desk for a
time. The manager, you understand,
had very little faith that the fellow
square his account with the house. 1t
was ten years ago that the debtor was
given his job and. as I have said, he
holds it today. He has proven to be one
of the best clerks in the country. He has
a good memory for faces, a good head
<for the details of the business and I
dare say it would take an offer of a
mach bigger salary than the average
man behind a desk gets to lure him
away from his present surroundings.
another case I know Of where a man
got a responsible position in a curious
way is that of a baggage master for a
railroad. The man in question was en-
ployed in the south by a railway COM
pany that has a policy that is an ode
one. The company makes it a rule never
to discharge a man. If a person is
found to be an undesirable employe he
is promoted instead of being discharged.
Now that may seem ridiculous but it is
q fact just the same. The theory of the
ceroporatiop is that if man cannot fill
the position he is in that a promotion
will bring upon him responsibilities
that he cannot carry and that Re will
resign and save the company from put
ting him OUT
Well the fellow, I have in mind, was
station agent and baggage master in
small town on the road in question and
he was poor excuse for man in the
position. The manager of the company
learned that the agent was not giving
satisfaction and ordered that he be pro-
NOTED. He was sent to largo town,
probably the largest in the state, where
he was working, and given position as
general baggage master in the city. The
manager thought he would resign within
week. but in that idea he proved to be
radically wrong. No sooner had the
man from the country station gotten
into his new position than he began to
show that he was cut out to take care Of
a large volume of business in good shape.
He made suggestions for improvements
in the service and in less than a month
had demonstrated beyond doub, tina. he
was the person that the company want
ed in the city Office. When the Spanish
American war broke out the company
naturally had great increase in its
business and among those who We're Sc
lected especially to superintend the
work Of taking care of the extra bust
mss was the man who had been brought
up from the small rural station.
THE fact of the matter was the fell
low took no interest in his work while
he was out in the country and he was
really Of little value to his Company
When he was given a more important
position he took more interest in his
duties and proved to be all right. don;
contend that as a rule merit does not
control in matters Of promotion nor do I
think that generally speaking the best
men don't get the best positions, but
am just telling you about the hotel clerk
and the baggage man to show that 1t
may sometime happen that an accident
as it We're, may bring a suitable man
into a potion which he would have been
long time in reaching by the merit
sytem. I have no sympathy with the
man who stands on the street corner
and tells you that it is all luck that
makes him stand there instead Of man.
aging a big business house. A man
don't stay in an important position usu-
ally unless he deserves to be there. but
a fortunate combinations Of circum-
stances may help him in getting into it
when il would have required years Of
suit"