The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-15
MEN OF MERIT ARE
MADE PRESIDENTS
Railroads Consider Worth and
Not Pull When Selecting
Officials.

The recent selection of Howard Ell
lott to be president of the Northern
Pacific has again called attention to
the fact that in the selection of presi-
Dental material the railroads of the
country are departing from long-es-
tablished custom.
A prominent official of one of the
Western lines, whose headquarters are
in Chicago, is of the opinion that the
man who starts at the bottom in the
service has a better opportunity now
than ever before to reach the top. In
the case of Mr.. Elliott it is shown that
he began in 1880 as a rodman and
worked his way through the operating
department until his work attracted
the attention of prominent and intu-
entail railroad magnateS.
Mr.. Elliott is but one of the many
railroad presidents at present in charge
of large railway systems who started
at the bottom. In fact, with the eX-
ception of George j. Gould, the major
ity Of the presidents of today have had
practical experience in all or many
branches of the service. w. II. New
man, of the New York Central, started
with the Texas & Pacific as a station
agent, and A. j. Cassatt, of the Penn
sylvania, boasts that he started as
rodrnan with that company.
Officers Come From the Ranks.
Albert J. Earring, of the Milwaukee,
gained his first insight into the rail-
road business as a telegraph operator
in the service of the road of which he
now is president. This was thirty
seven years ago, and since that time
he has filled the position of train dis
patcher, assistant superintendent, d.
vision superintendent assistant general
superintendent, general superintendent
general manager and second vice presi
dent In 1899 he reached the highest
office in the gift of the company.
Charles S. Mellen, formerly presi-
dent of the Northern Pacific and now
the executive head of the New York,
New Haven & Hartford, commenced
his railroad career as a clerk in the
office of the cashier of the Northern
New Hampshire railroad, while Marvin
Hughitt, of the Chicago & North West
ern, began as q trainmaSter and worked
his way to the top by easy stages.
1t will be seen that the men who are
now railroad presidents started in the
service in different ways, but large
proportion gained their first knowledge
of railroad work either as telegraph
operators or rodmen in the engineering
department.
Underwood a Brakeman.
President FELTON, made his reputation
in the latter branch of the service, and
Horace G. Burt, of the Union Pacific,
was employed first as a rodman in the
construction Of the st. Louis, Vandalia
&S Terre Haute. Milton H. Smith, of
the Louisville & Nashville, obtained his
training at telegraph instrument, and
f. D. Underwood, of the Erie, was a
railroad brakeman, conductor on pas
senger and freight trains, and a yard
master before he made his executive
ability apparent TO his superiors.
Unlike many others who have gained
prominence in various lines Of business,
the average railroad man who has
reached the top or won a position of
Importance is proud of the beginning
and seldom loses an opportunity to
call the attention of his subordinates
to the fact that he started at the bot
tom of the railroad ladder.