The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-12
PIONEER RAILROAD MAN
 TO RETIRE IN JANUARY
By CLYDE ". ENNIS

| One month from today one of the most i picturesque and effective men in south
 ern railroading will remove his cloak of
 official life and retire from world with
 in itself in which he has been active for
 more than 50 years.
 | On January F, James T. Harahan
 president of the Illinois Central rail-
 road, will cast aside his work and will
 take long and perhaps much-needed
 rest from laborious duties.
 1 With his retirement Mir. Harahan be- l comes one of the benehciaries of a pen- | sion system that he started on the Illi- nos Central railroad. It provides that | all employees after having reached the age of 70 must retire. After 60 they may re- tire if they so elect with a pension based upon their earnings of the past 10 years of service. The pension system affects all alike and the highest man in the service
 goes out with 1t one month from today.
 He was in Montgomery.a few days ago when his retirement was talked over by
 some old friends. MT Harahan said that
 he had been in harness for many years and that he was not shirking rest. Dur ing the past three or four years he has held onto probably the most restive rail-
 road presidency in this country. Stuyves-
 ant Fisk and the late E. H. Hartman
 were involved in a controversy over con-
 trol which ended disastrously for the for
 mer. MT. Harahan was then installed as
 president. Since then he has been wear ing crown of thorns so to put 1t, with
 many opposing factions. However, he has accomplished a great many improvements and has incidentally uncovered a large amount of alleged graft among his sub ordinate officers.
 MT. Harahan and his son, at that time vice president of the Illinois Central, but
 TOW with the Erie railroad, built the line fx.f abilities of the city and determined to come here. They did Now the Central of Georgia Is the connecting link with the Hartman railroads from the far west to
 the Atlantic seaboard. MT. Harahan stood for all this immovably and thus rendered
 service to Birmingham which the people
 appreciate
 In Illinois MT. Harahan has educated
 the people to believe in him and to call
 his line "Our railroad"
 I have heard him say a number of times
 that when the people down here called
 his line Our railroad' he would be con
 tented. That spirit of mutual benefits on
 the part of Illinois people has caused no
 end of movements for better relations
 Down here the same spirit Is slowly grow
 ing, and 1t Is not to be doubted if he were
 to continue that such a consummation
 might be an eventuality.
 The Illinois Central, with MT. Harahan. believes the people will do the right thing at every turn and he has based his great est feats in railroading along such a line as this, He is peaceful when at work and never seeks battle with any person or interest. But when it comes to a fight the gray-haired veteran on the Illinois Central can walk up to the bat with one of the briskest fights that anyone may desire. He started out with Milton H. Smith for his real training, and has never forgotten the grilling "the old man" gave him. They are not so far apart in years, and both have reached the highest goal in railroading. MT. Harahan will tell anyone that he is proud of the fact that he was a section hand on the old Lous- vile and Nashville. and that at Mont
 gomery he bossed a gang. He went from this humble position right up the ladder. Since those days railroading has changed as much as any line of American endeavor Mir. Harahan has accommo- dated himself to all the varied changes and perhaps the rest he will secure after one short month passes will be appre- Iciated. To those who know him 1t is not easy to believe that he will retire with any sudden move. He will doubtless after six months or more in Europe act in an
 advisory capacity with the Illinois Gen. tral.
 It is doubted if he will ever be in Bir. mingham again as president of the Ill. nois Central
 His successor has not been named However, gossip has been busy with sev- eral names. Expert opinion has it that w. l.. Park, now vice president. will be president. He is now senior vice presi- dent. Mir. Park was brought to the Ill.
 nois Central from the Southern Pacific