Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-06-07

Many are the rules that are laid
down for success but they can be all
simmered down to this one: what
ever you do, do it with your might"
Keeping everlastingly at it has made
great poets, great financiers, great
statesmen and has made James e.
Hurley one of the leading practical
railroad men of the country. Looking
at his picture one peeks in vain for
any hallmark of genius, but there is
every evidence of an indomitable will,
of a character that does not leave a
task undone because some organiza-
tion has commanded that eight hours
must constitute days work. James
e. Hurley has not had snap to reach
the position OF general manager
of the great Santa Fe Railway
system but there can be no doubt that
work has always given him joy; that
achievement has been its own reward
to him and that he has always been
loyal, intensely loyal, to the interests
of his employers.
1t is the men who make their work
a passion, who are bound to do one
particular task better than any one
else who eventually tower above all
competition and James e. Hurley has
made railroading that one task and
the Santa Fe system is with him
passion. That alone accounts for the
fact that he, who not so many years
ago started at the very lowest rung of
railroading, that of trackman, is to-
day general manager of over eight
thousand miles of railroad and of an
army of men.
James E. Hurley comes of good par
entage. Good blood is heritage not
to be despised. He has fine educa-
tion, although he acquired it early. A
solid educational foundation is a
mighty handy thing when it comes to
climbing the ladder of success. Mr..
Hurley is the son of DR.. John Hurley,
of Wapello, Iowa, at one time surgeon
in the army, and one of his uncles,
Judge James e. Hurley, was member
of Congress. But the subject of this
sketch never formed the habit of de-
pending upon his relatives to get along
in this world. He worked his own way
through school. In other words, he
made the right start at the right time
and in consequence he is not depend
ing upon any one today to push him
ahead but there are many, very many,
with much better start than he had,
who are depending upon him. Mr..
Hurley was twelve years old when he
graduated from the public schools OF
Wapello, Iowa, and was given certifl-
cate to teach in the public schools OF
Louisa County, Iowa. He decided to
take a course at the State Normal
School at Bloomfield, Iowa. He pawn
ed his watch to pay part of his way to
Bloomfield; the rest he walked. BY
working during his vacations and by
being janitor of the school during the
school term he earned his own way
college After graduating, he
taught school, but the West, the Far
West, was at that time Turing ambi-
tious young Americans toward the set
ting sun and young Hurley decided to
go at least as far as Kansas. One
night he stepped from the train at
and at daylight found 1t con-
sisted of only section house, store
and blacksmith Shop He worked
his way to Newton. Kansas, and from
there decided to go to Sterling to ac-
cept a position as hotel clerk. At
Newton he did his first railroad work
to earn the money to go to Sterling.
He worked five days as trackwalker
and he liked the work so well that
later he secured a position as brake