Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1912-07-05
THE MAN ON THE JOB.

THE MAN ON THE JOB.
The retirement yesterday of James
J. Hill from the position Of chairman
of the board Of directors of the Great |
Northern railroad, marks another peri
cd IN the industrial history of the
Northwest.
While it is understood that Mr.. Hill
will remain a member of the executive
board, yet the title of chairman Of such
board will pass to his son, Louis w.
Hill, former president Of the road and
who has been in training for the new !
position for number of years. /
But the mere fact Of the resignation
of J. J. Hill as chairman Of the board /
of directors, does not by any means in !
dictate that he is ready to lay down the
burden of great industrial affairs. |
Those who know him, know that as
long as his mind remains clear and his
health good, he will continue the domi- /
nant factor in the great system Of
railway which he has built.
The Great Northern, ever since it be-
came road worthy of mention, has
been known all over the country as a
"one-man road'' And that one man
has been and is today James J. Hill.
He is the one man who has nursed it
along from the time, when it was little
more than two streaks Of rust in will
derness of weeds, seventy-fve miles
long, up to the present, when the road
has taken its place among the great
lines Of the country, with nearly 1900
miles of track. During all these years
he has worked, planned, fought, begged
and literally bled for it.
And during all that time no detail Of
construction or operation has escaped
him. He has been "the man on the
job He has watched everything,
from the building of section house up
to the purchase Of $50 of the roads
biggest locomotives in one order. For
many years, during the early history
Of the road, he knew the name of and
could recognize almost every man in
his employ. $50
If there was labor difficulty to set
tie, James ]. Hill was the man who
gave the final word. If trip to Eur
ope to hoat a great loan, James J..
Hill aidsit. IF there was siding to
be- built, Hill passed on the plans.
And was this one-man system a good
systemi Well rather. Great Northern
stock has: for many years been listed
among the gild-edged investments of
the country. The road has always met
its, obligations. It has never passed a
dividend. And when Mr.. Hill got ready
to build the Pacific coast extension, he
did it in spite Of the predictions Of
certain failure made by many fnan.
cial sharps and without one dollar of
government aid.
Great Northern lines gridiron six
states, and wherever it reaches it is the
shortest line and in most cases the best
piece Of track. Its trains. are among
finest to be found anywhere. Over it's
lines is run the fastest train in the
world for a distance of 1900 miles
No. q, the Fast Mail.
Under this one-man rule the Hill for.
tune has grown from nothing to one es-
timated at figure as high as $780,
100000.
The country through which the road
passes has, under this same one-man
rule, grown from comparatively
worthless territory inhabited chiefly by
prairie dogs and Indians, to one of
high civilization, with total popula.
ton of almost 100000 happy, content.
ed and prosperous people, and with a
total valuation of farm products in
1910 of $1,000, 100000.
And despite the fact that he has re.
signed as chairman of the board of di.
rectors Of the Great Northern Jim Hill
is, and will continue to be, 50 long as
he lives and enjoys good health, s'the
man On the job.'' For more than a
quarter of a century he has been the
dominant figure Of the industrial north
west, and the prestige thus acquired
will remain with him as long as he
lives.
Hardly a business man in the north
west but has at some time had real O,
fancied grievance against his road, but
on the other hand no man on the Grea
Northern lines but knows that to til,
faet that the Great Northern line eS
listed is due in great measure his pros
perity.
But whether we are friendly TO tn
Great Northern or not, we must all ad
nit the genius Of it's builder. He i
the greatest man the northwest has ev
er made or helped to make. and one o
the greatest railroad men of the world
And he is still on the Job.
HANNA NOMINATED.
q The urinary a1oot;o,,