The Washington herald., 1910-12-18


Guided In a month OF two / was com
/ pounding prescriptions. NV predecessor
/ had gone off 10 the war. / got patriotic
/ al the end OF two years and followed
/ him. enlisting in his regiment, the Third
/ New York Artillery. After service as a
! private i was made a corporal. then q
! sergeant and then a lieutenant I was
/ in the siege of Petersburg and entered
/ Richmond as the Confederates hurriedly
moved out Of the city.
Having saved some money as a sol
der, l entered Hamilton College. where ]
remained a year. l was employed by a
wholesale drug company in this city for
some time, but ! went with Hoyt Broth
ers, brokers in hides 10 better my posi-
ton. The move was a blunder on my
| part Next. / found employment in the
office Of Gen. Burnside, who had left the
army and engaged in railway cOnstruc-
ton. He was liked by everybody, but he
didn't know much about business.
Before long I was sent 10 Indiana TO
look after road thirty-nine miles long
that he built and represented. Later. |
went to the Cairo and Vincennes. now a
part OF the Big Four system, which he
had projected. and in which j. Pierpont
Morgan's father was Interested. When
NAAt Aheil hcc cNANs 4 BtIdltlE second wee
president and treasurer of the Chicago
and western Indiana, a short line. but a
valuable property because its tracks into
Chicago were used by several other COM
panies. It was owned, in part, by the
Drexels. Of Philadelphia
Succeeded Alexander Mitchell.
In 1885. D. D. Merrill, general mana
ger of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St
Paul Railway. sent for me- / became his
assistant Alexander Mitchell was presi-
dent, He came from Scotland in 1853 10
be secretary of George Smiths Wisconsin
Marine and Fire Insurance Company He
and Smith were bankers and put out
sl,5O0.0o0 of paper currency, which they
redeemed in gold oyer their counter with
out loss to anybody Mitchell consolidated
some Of the little aroads in Wisconsin,
forming first the Milwaukee and st. Paul,
and later the Chicago, Milwaukee ana
ST. Paul system"
And in seven years after Merrill sent
for you" / said.s you became MitchelIs
successor in the presidency Your quick
advancement was remarkable
We'll, I was fortunate" Mr.. Miller re-
piled. Mr.. Merrill suffered from paraly-
sis soon after l became his assistant
and I did his work. That gave me
start"
You have lived through the most act
i've period of railway development in the
United States" / said, and had ex-
periences that no man can have here
after"
THAT is So" Mr. Miller answered. II
remember when there was plenty of free
land and the land that wasn't free was
given away almost. The country through
which our road did business was poor
and thinly settled. Now it is rich and
populous. South Dakota, especially. had
desperate struggle with adversely. Hot
winds destroyed the crops of wheat.
corn, and oats. AS the country came I'M
der the pillow the hot winds ceased. TIL
age, think. stopped them Even when
wheat could be harvested it had to be
sold at a price that was below the cost
OF production. The farmers had no
money. Most of them were burdened
with debt"
and everything they bought. 1 said,
was dear"
Prices were not so high as they are
to-day, Mr.. Miller replied Living costs
more now than ever before. The reasons.
to me, are very plain Massachusetts, has
just made an inquiry into the subject
The work was well done. All work is
well done in that State. The people there
get at the facts and then by a process of
straight thinking reach sound conclu-
sions. II was found that the cost of pro-
ducing a steer in the West during the
year 1880 was S25.S7. In 1890, the cost had
risen 10 s55.25, in 1900 to $3.50. and in 1910
TO $3.50. Ten years ago. good grazing
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