Evening journal., 1914-05-16
New News Of Yesterday
An AnecdOte OF o Once
famous Railroad Pro-
mOter
~ Holland.

ny h0itan6s
How speedily the names and
careers Of men who achieved greatly
in the world Of finance and Of rail
road construction a generation or
more ago are forgotten is well illus
trated oy the story OF John Duff.
Thirty years ago and more Mr.. Duff's
name was known to every man Of
finance in the United States. and
there We're many interesting anec-
dotes which narrated the part that
was borne by Mr. Dun in perfecting
the plans by which the Union Pacific
Railroad was completed. Now 10
only few survivors of his time IS
Mr.. DuH's name a familiar one.
Mr. Duff was Of Boston birth and
business life. He was a man of al
most excessive modesty, amounting
practically to shyness. This. how
ever, did not affect him as a great
leader in the world Of finance and 81
railroad construction. There he was
always a man Of courage and he
established great influence because he
was esteemed a man Of integrity.
Mr.. Duff, IN this personal charae-
teristic Of modesty, was similar o
some Of the greatest intellectual
forces the United States has been for
tunate enough to possess. Some of
the ablest bankers the country has
ever known were, in their private and
personal relations, men Of singular
modesty being utterly without self
consciousness or yearning for pub
licity.
| had heard at one time or another
anecdotes associated with Mr.. Duh's
career, but it was not until ] mer
Or. William M. Bullard, formerly of
New York, now of Boston, that | was
able to gain an accurate insight into
the personality and career of this
once-famOus railroad man.
Il was long on intimate personal
relations with Mr. Duff" Or. Bullard
said. Il was one OF the compara-
lively few persons who knew with |
what accurate artistic appreciation |
he made selections of paintings. He !
had at one time as fine a collection |
of paintings as was to be found in
Boston. Some of them have recently |
been sold at a sale of conspicuously |
valuable works of art which was
in New York
Mr.. Duff was really the creator
Of the plan by which the Union Pacific |
Railway proposition was taken up /
and the work completed, although /
few persons even at that time know /
Il. Many persons have wondered /
how It happened that for years the /
Union Pacific was in possession of /
Boston capital. II was a recognized
Boston institution. Charles Francis
grandson Of one President Of
the United States, and eat-grand-
son Of another, was fer some years
the president Of the Union Pacific
He is a Boston man and the head-
quarters of the Union Pacific were
in Boston
The reason for Boston's pre-
SO many years in Union
Pacific affairs is TO be traced to John
Duff. When the proposition was
tagging and it seemed doubtful
whether capital would be found for
completing the road, Mr.. DUFF was
appealed to. He initiated the ex-
ample set many years earlier by the
late John NJ Forbes, also Of Boston.
who appealed successfully to Boston
capital for funds with which to com
Dlete the Michigan Central Railroad
ana to begin what became the Bur
ington Railroad system, which, until
James J. Hill bought it. was dis
inctive Boston institution.
Mr.. Duff went to the men of capi-
al, explaining a plan which he had
by which the Union Paci-
ic proposition could be taken I'D and
he work completed. This Boston
,apital responded to his appeal and,
With the aid of the government, which
vas imperative, the road was COM
)leted.
"Mr Duff at one time gained nation
vide reputation by reason of a single
emark. There had been dissension (
n the Union Pacific company Out
iiders were trying to break into the
company and snatch it away. Mr..
duff for a long time resented this
guerrilla attack upon the property
At last ne withdrew. finding himself
beaten, but as he did
10 he made this remark
"I will never shake hands across
he directors table with dishonest
men,
He did not say % whom he re-
erred nor was there ever any know
edge Of what precisely he had IN /,
mind But his statement was taken
Ip and widely circulated and from 1t
proceeded one Of the influences which
it last broke down high financing of
he reckless kind with which SO many
# the American railroads have been
Ifilictedn
Copyright, 1914, By r. j. Edwards
All rights resoryed).