Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-14
Mr.. MORTON'S VIEWS
A Chat With the Secretary
Of the Navy
ON PUBLIC MATTERS
WHAT RAILROADS HAVE DONE
FOR THE COUNTRY.
A Good Word for Corporations-The
United States and Its
Great Future.

Copyright, 1906, by Frank G. Carpenter)
Written for The Evening Star.
How do you like your job?'
1 asked this question Of the Secretary of
the Navy, Mr.. Paul Morton, as we sat
together in his home on K street yesterday
afternoon. 1t was a pertinent question.
Secretary Morton began his working career
at the age of sixteen as an office boy for
the Burlington and Missouri railroad at SIC
per month, and when he was appointed Sec
rotary of the Navy he had risen to be vice
president of the Atchson, Topeka and Santa
Fe railroad at a salary of $4,000 a year.
His thirty-two years of working life have
been succession of jobs, each done so well
that he has been promoted to one higher
up. After year at SIG per month he was
transferred to the general freight Office of
the Burlington road at s25 per month, and
two years later became connected with the
freight department of the c., B. and Q.
With that company he remained seventeen
years, during which he rose to be chief
clerk, assistant general freight agent, gen.
eral passenger agent and general freight
agent. After that he resigned to go into
business for himself for six years, and then
accepted the vice presidency of the Atchi-
son, Topeka and Santa Fe.
That was nine years ago, since when he
has had charge of the entire traffic of one
of the greatest railroad systems of the west,
system which has 5000 miles of track,
with interests covering the United States.
In doing his work Mr. Morton has on
the average Travelled 80 600 miles year, and
has been dealing with the leading men and
largest affairs of the country. He has had
an army of employees under him, and has
handled them and the business so well that
it has paid good dividends on capitaliZa-
ton of more than 5000, 900 900. That job, as
l have said brought him in $25, 600 a year.
His cabinet place pays but $4,000. One
would naturally think he must like it to
hold it. But / will let him speak for him
self
Plenty to Do.
II find my work interesting, replied the
Secretary of the Navy. THE position is
an important one. We are now spending
about s100.000.0G0 a year. and the greater
part of this goes into naval construction.
1 want to see such expenditures go on until
we have at least the second greatest navy
of the world. 1 consider the navy one of
the most important interests of the United
States, and it is one which gives the Sec
rotary plenty to do l also like the asso-
Citations one has here, and the dealing
with national affairs
How did you come to be appointed Sec
rotary of the Navy, Mr.. Morton?' l asked.
81 came here because the President asked
me to come was the reply. He thought
1 could do good here and help him with
his administration. 1 did not want to come,
in fact, refused to come several times be-
fore 1 finally consented
But you have political ambitions have
you not, Mr.. Secretary?'
mo, my life work has been along bust
ness lines and my ambitions are all con-
nected with business
But you have no aspirations in the line
of our public service? Would you not like
to be President of the United States?"
II have no such ambition said Mr.. Nor
ton. my desire for the presidency lies only
in the direction of the railroad. 1 should
like to be president of the Atchison, Topeka
and Santa Fe. That is ALL
College Boys in Business.
"Mr. Secretary, you have been very sue
cessful business man. Do you think you
lost or gained by not having college edu-
caton?''
THAT is question:" said Secretary Nor
ton "As far as pure business success is
concerned I gained by starting life young
The time might have spent in college was
spent in learning business and business
methods. l learned a new lesson of one
kind another every day, and as far as
my success in railroading and other bust
ness is concerned 1 think that this was of
more benefit to me than a college course.
I have had to do with many college grad
yates. Indeed 1 have had hundreds of
them in my employ. Their college careers
give them false ideas of their position and
duties They look down upon ordinary
work, and are not willing to begin at the
bottom, as they must do to succeed.
doubt much whether the long college
course makes the boy better business
man"
eff you had a boy would you send him
to colege?'
81 might I cannot say. My brothers are
was and started into their working life
from the common schools. Nevertheless
they are giving their own boys college edu
cations. I might do the same; but as a
pure business proposition l doubt its adj
Visibility
your father was college bred, was he
not?"
was a graduate of Union College, New
York but he did not believe in college
training for business men. The Morton
family, in fact, seems for generations to
have alternated between the college and
business office in training its boys. One
of my great grandfathers was college
man noted for his classical learning. His
son, my grandfather, was business man,
educated in the schol of experience. Father
went to college. His sons were trained to
business, and my brothers sons are now In
college again. AS to my brothers, would
saw that the business school has been
success They stand high In the COM
mercial world, and, starting with nothing,
have made themselves men of large inter-
ests and high business standing
Our Great Railroad Interests.
The conversation here turned to railroad
matters and Secretary Morton spoke of the
enormous part they had in the prosperity
of the country. Said he:
1.-THE railroads are one of the greatest
interests of the United States. They rank
next to our farms, and it is due to them
that the farms are valuable. For every
dollar spent in railroads it is estimated that
at least ten dollars has been added to the