The St. Louis Republic., 1901-07-21
stephen T. Gage, Political Manager
for the System, to Be Put
on a Pension.
WAS BOSS Of TWO STATES.
For Forty Years he Has Been q
Controlling Factor in All Legis-
lation Affecting Railroads on
the Pacific Coast.

San Francisco, July oo-Stephen T. Gage.
assistant to the president of the Southern
Pacific Railway Company, is to be retired
In few days It is expected that President
Charles NJ Hays will issue a. circular to this
erect It is understood that in considera-
ton OF his long and valuable services to the
great corporation he will be given pen
sion, but his days Of active participation iii
the affairs OF the railroad are at an end.
and the man who. next to the big four
Stanford. Huntington. Crocker and Hopkins
stands pre-emfnent as one OF the great
factors In the history of the development Ct
the company that has welded such !. vast
influence In the development of California.
viii be relegated to private life by the ukase
Of the successor of Huntington.
Time was when Gage was the dictator OF
the political fate of two States, and his In
@uence reached from Oregon to Texas and
his power was felt in the halls Of Congress
at Warrington. No man in the history OF
the Golden State and Its State sister across
the mountains ever welded greater power
than the man who is about to be retired.
LegiSlatora were his playthings. He made
and unmade Judges. He dictated the names
e Congressman and United States Senators.
The Governors Of sovereign States were Oft
times made by Stephen 7. Gage.
Great Power I'm Politics.
6tupendous were the political deals made
BY the man who is about to go. on the re
tired list Of the corporation of which he
NaS once director and assistant to the presi-
Sord. he built up the greatest political or
eanisation in the history of the West. and
he made his friend first Governor and then
United States Senator. But in doing this ne
Incurred the enmity OF c. P. Huntington.
and when Huntington assumed power he de-
posed Gage at once. But Gage was big
fho road, and C. p. Huntington was COM
polled to mako friends with the man whom
- had fought 30 bitterly. and the My Dear
0eophon" letters written from New York
Wi1 always be an important incident in the
Ee@sntic history of the great railroads of
But Il would seem now as IL Cages time
has finally come. and he can hardly survive
the now deals and the new dealers.
It b as the political manager for the
6tsphen T. Gage is best known. The posi-
don OF assistant to the president, which he
held for much Of his life, was created to
inent. How well he did 1t is a matter Of
open history, and for years Gage was the
greatest single factor In the politics OF Cali
fornia and Nevada
Handled Great sums.
How much money he handled for the two
companies during his nearly forty years OF
service will never be known, but it will
reach into the millions. And while he has
disbursed hundreds OF thousands Of dollars
for which vouchers could not be required
and never were required. Gage is to-day
home In Oakland and few pieces Of not
very productive realty constitute the total
Of bis possessions. While others made for
tunes through his friendship he is to-day
comparatively poor man. He could have
made thousands where his friends and BEN
ecrupuIously honest with his company in
dealings where there was no tracing and no
questions asked. Whatever may be said Of
he could have been worth millions to-day
had he chosen 50 to be. and without strain
ing the term Honesty" as it is used in The
Few know this phase of the remarkable
life and character of this man. Those who
knew him as maker Of political deals
the Central Pacific Railroad Company were
made by Stephen T. Gage.
But while his work as politician is the
most prominent feature of his history. Gage
had some OF the most difficult work con-
to perform. For nearly twenty years he
bought al the coal consumed by the loco.
motives Of e the @ company on and in that time he
This was no easy task in the early days.
Sc brought from England and ana nea aussraa naa 20
Columbia were opened. Then coal had tU
% brought from half way around the world.
and Il was Gage who originated the plan OF
ships bringing coal here in lieu OF ballast
and take California wheat back.
His Remarkable Career.
Gage has had as many as 100 clippers on
caiifofnia for the railroad and nd one ne day
1orty ships rode at anchor in San Francisco
nay With cargoes to be discharged. 1t fs no
oaey TASK to keep great railroad system
euppIed with fuel when 1t had to be
brought from abroad. Storms may delay
vesssls and At one time Gage found himself
with scarcely three days supply for the
Wgtem. But he was never caught.
0age has been with the Central Pacific
3aalroad and its successor, the Southern
Arst became connected with the Central
3acidc In 1S6l. when the railroad con-
eisted OF twenty-eight miles Of road from
oacramento to Newcastle. He was at that
1als from Placerviile, the Hanstown 90 Of
snoss dsys to Virginia City. He was res
1oent Of the latter place when the Com
rock lode was Just being opened
The Central Pacific Railroad was about
become q State. Gage had helped organize
Ne Tert1tory of Nevada. and was a power
~ the or4anixation Of the new State The
railroad had to build across the Sagebrush
OfAte. ana Gage was put In control OF all
handled with the greatest success until the
seventies. when Nevada began to wane in
importance, ana he was transferred to CAL
S6orn1A ana given control OF the politics of
e6e road for the State and nation, and be-
stamford. He was director Of the road for
0Aqy yeaxs, and was q member of the only
2Eecut1ve Committee that the road ever
AaA, oompo0ed Of Stanford, Huntington and
o. lats years his connection with the
Dempany has been nominal. because OF his
age and health.
STRANGE FRANKS OF AN ENGINE.