The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-09
Heavy Mortality List Among
Railroad Executives Re-
suit of Sherman Law
WORK AND WORRY
BIG CONTRIBUTORS
Finley Had Heart in Development of
South But Was Unable to Ac-
complish His Full Desires.
Lease of New Haven
by HOLLAND


I New York, December S.-(Special Fair
fax Harrison, who has been chosen rs the
successor of w. w. Finley as president of
the Southern Railroad company, is, as
his two predecessors were. of southern
lineage His name would be sufficient
to identify him as a member of a south-
ern family. Samuel Spencer and his sue
cessor, W. w. Finley, were both of south
ern birth and training and their knowl-
edge of the south, past and present es-
pecially of its resources, was one of the
reasons why they were scalled-first Mr..
Spencer and then Mr.. Finley-to the pres
idency of this great railway system of
the south
Both Mr.. Spencer and, later Mr. Finley
were fond, when they had little leisure, of
narrating to their friends in this city their
view of the possibilities of the south as
well as their understanding of the recent
stupendous material growth of that sec
tion of the country Mr.. Finley, who sue
eeeded Mr.. Spencer soon after the fatal
accident which cost Mr. Spencer's life.
was an enthusiast upon the opportunities
that are to be found everywhere in the
south 1t sometimes seemed to his friends
In this city as though his mind was quite
as firmly concentrated upon the develop
ment of these resources as it was upon
the operation of the Southern railroad
Yet in his view development in the
south, agricultural and Industrial, de-
pended in great measure upon adequate
railroad facilities. He looked to the day
when his railroad and the other larger
systems of the south would be abundant
ly fortified in the way of equipment ter
ninal facilities and perfected roadbed and
! trackage to meet the demands for trans
portation which the wonderful energy of
| the business men and planters of the
south would speedily make. 1t was along
the same lines that President T. NJ. Emer-
| son of the Atlantic Coast Line was seek
ing to develop his railroad In the interest
| OF that part of the south which it pene-
! trated and also to develop the industries
! of that part of the country in the in
terest of his railroad system.
Approximate Estimate
II is impossible to make more than an
approximate estimate of the part these
two men contributed toward such devel-
opment of the southern states as makes
possible In the year 1918 the accumulation
/ of new wealth due to agriculture euuiva-
A
dustrial activity which has also added
greatly to the financial resources of the
south. Both of these men were not mere
| ly theoretical farmers but were practical
farmers They understood the highest
| economics of agriculture and they had
clear perception of what the most econom-
| 1cal farm unit was in various sections
and of how important TO the south is di-
versity in its agricultural products.
/ President Finley was especially inter-
ested in the development of the incon-
ceivably rich natural resources in the
state of Louisiana. He always had
pride of citizenship and almost that of
birth In that state, for although he was
born at Pass Christian. Miss, his early
training took place in the state of Louisi-
ana. He was confident that Louisiana
would soon take rank with the greatest
| corn producing states of. the union, and
| he was also Of the opinion that much the
greater part of Louisiana's surface covers
| the largest natural gas fields in the United
4 States. AS soon as times became nor
NAL and railroads were relieved from the
many embarrassments which they now
face. President Finley expected to see
| and participate in greatly increased de-
velopment of the natural resources of
| Louisiana.
| The strange tragedy of the coincident
deaths in points of time of President Fin
| ley ana ffesluent emerson VIII pass into
| history as one of the most mysterious
of the many mysterious incidents asso-
ciated with the active careers of some of
our greatest railway forces.
! Was it Worry?
Both of these railroad presidents of the
south We're greatly worried because of
conditions In the railway affairs of the
United States which prevented them from
accomplishing excepting in part and in
small measure. what they hope to accom-
plish. No one can with. certainty at
tribute to any other than normal physical
causes the fact that these two railway
presidents died upon the, same day and
yet those who have known of their en-
| thIsiastic labors in aiding in southern
development which were entirely health
| ful--for they rejoiced in work which had
the development of the south in view
and who knew how they were beset by
various political and legislative Difficult
ties escaped the suspicion that worry may
| have contributed directly, certainly indi-