The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-14

| ttNSh VI d ldTEe cNdEltaDle institution which had never paid for gas supply came to him about the new rule. I'm sorry. he said. when he had heard them through. T can't break
 my rule. but--how much does your bill amount to?"
 | They told him. and he sat down and wrote them his personal check for the amount"
 Throughout the struggle of putting the company on a solid financial basis the arrangements of the plants, the Introduction of his own ideas in the practical running of the works, the hard fight against poodle" Mir Me Miliin controlled all with the finesse of the practiced financier. the prac- tical knowledge of the man who had learned the gas business from the pick and shovel up to it's most complex scientific problems, and the diplomacy of the lifelong politician. He was at his desk early and late, genial wher- ever it was possible. grimly firm when it was necessary, direct and honest all ways A man who had been one of the opposition called on him one day. They talked for a while in his private office. and when his visitor left. MT McMillin had no stronger packer. The newspapers. doubtful at first, were won over by his frank speech He helped the reporters to many good item of news. Not word that he said could be found fault with. He was al- ways judicious, but always sincere One day St. Louis paper published an alleged interview with him in which he was made to say all manner of bad things about the city government. As a matter of fact. he had never seen the reporter. The council through an Investigating committee called him to account for what he had not said. They quoted parts of the interview. He met them with d calm:
 How do you know I said that?'
 When asked if he had made the re- marks In question, he would neither deny or affirm. The council was not used to being checkmated so easily and firmly. After some hours of fruitless questioning, he was told that he must answer by o'clock or go to FJail.
 T wouldn't pretend to know your business" he said, in reply. But I may say that you will learn no more by ? o'clock than you know now. And as for jail-doing that sort of thing cost the sergeant-at-arms of the Uni ted States Senate $l00,000 d few years ago"
 After they had adjourned, the lead CTS of the council talked the matter over with the city councillor. The en- tire discussion was fiatly dropped. How long the struggle with the 
 say. if rather strenuous means had not been adopted. Mir. McMillin hired number of detectives to look into old dealings of the council, and many fragrant cases were unearthed. When he was in full possession of the ne- cessary facts, he let the people know indirectly what had been done. The fight dwindled into perfect peace. and. because the laws of Missouri have 1t that man who gives bribe is more of criminal than the man who takes it, many influential citizens were un- duly worried.
 Two years after the beginning of the St Louis operations Emerson, Mo Millin and Company opened offices on Wall street for general banking busi- ness. Gradually they have taken pos session of many of the important gas, electric and street railway companies throughout the country. Some have been developed. just as the Sioux City Company had been. and sold. Others have been kept. and these form the nucleus of the American Light and Traction Company, with an au- thorized capital of forty millions which, it Is said. will be quickly en- Iarged. MT. McMillin Is the company's president. He has been president of over sixty corporations. Millions upon millions of dollars worth of properties have passed through his hands. And he Is only fifty-seven years old and Is at the summit of his powers. There ara larger achievements yet to come.
 When he and his associates acquired the East River Gas Company in 1892, he decided to construct a tunnel be- meath the East River between Long Island City and New York Engineers said it was impossible and brought up the old North River tunnel begun twenty-five years ago and still incom- pIete to prove their assertion. MT. Me Millin decided that it could be done, and he personally watched each move In it's construction, advising and sug- gesting. When 1t was completed, against the counsel of friends and practical engineers, he was the first man to go through the tunnel from end to end. The tunnel was a triumph ant success, and the East River compa- ny Is one of the most important cor porations in New York
 After all. it Is only the simple evolu- | tion of boy to man. He has handled | the pick and shovel and axe, the mus ket and sword. the test tube. theodolite | and pen, men and millions after the | same general plan. A man who kows l Mir. McMillen well wrote last year in private correspondence to his friends Whence hath this man these things?' Is not this the --s son? Was | he not a common soldier? How came | this unschooled, uncolleged never idle | man by all his varied knowledge?" | Eternal vigilance" and "an infinite capacity for taking pains" and even more. an infinite desire for taking pains this seems to be the answer The splen- l did physique which his early hard | ships gave him. cool. clear head, | sound common sense and a warm heart | have helped him. He is a military | man of business. a born fighter watch ing each move of his opponents, always | dead in earnest. planning with delicate !, skill, hard as fit in the face of cpposi- | ton, deciding quickly and absolutely | what not to do as well as what to do 1 and seeing everything large and small | to it's finish. If he makes mistake | he hammers his way through without | retreat. He makes enemies and beats | them. His personality grips one with | q sense of primitive mastery, that of | man who has won because he willed | It so. He would not knowingly do | man a wrong. but he Is human. moved [ to strong likes and dislikes, and he | can frown as well as smile. He writes just as he talks. straight from the | shoulder, having dehnie nail In view | and always hitting 1t squarely on the | head. Tn one of the towns where he | had properties, there sprang up an op- position company. Here Is an excerpt | from q letter he wrote to business associate:
 MT. Is doing exactly as we desire him to do in conducting this fight. We gave these parties fair mo- tice before they had spent one dollar that we would fight them to the bitter end. Our money was in and we could ] not get it out. Their money .s'as out and they could keep it out
 If any suggestions come, looking to