The Washington herald., 1916-06-03
James ]. Hills Successor.


glasscd casket white pedestal in his. home
in St. Paul, Louis w. Hill, son and successor of
James J. Hill, began an interview in which he
outlined his plans for the future and the man
agement of his fathers properties The inter
view was finished in Louis Hills own home
next door, standing before a lfe-size portrait
of the man he succeeds-the Moses of the North
western wilderness.
Louis Hill is now the most conspicuous fg-
ure west of Cleveland and the biggest railroad
man on earth.
He was most cordial. He did not dodge a
question, and he talked railroads. My mission
was to draw an estimate OF this man of "a who
is to take on and take up the task of being Hill
Heretofore he has been only Louis-everybody
in St. Paul calls him that. and l caught the
habit-but now he is to be Hill. They don't
| Mister" anyone here, not even Hill
AS long as the railroads give good service,
SO long will the railroads have good credit.
have good credit Wall street will come out here
TO serve that credit.
Il live in St. Paul. do not propose to move
TO New York. scarcely know my late father S
his leutenantss, his boys, out here and west and
northwest Of here, who operate the Great North
ern, the Northern Pacific, and the Chicago, Bur-
llngton and Quincy. And as long as they are
| =.
Hill properties safe and sure"
Being railroad president isn't sinecure, "
said he, but a railroad president is no phenom-
enon. My father raised and turned out some
twenty-five or thirty OF them 1t was poor
quality OF man who stood by jim Hill and didn't
make at least railroad president.
~ Look at me. was president Of the Great
Northern at go And had been made to under
to make them put me there. l had to be a self
made man in spite OF my fathers standing. Oh,
did have opportunities made for me. But I
had to take them and make good as an individ-
years after left Harvard. / didn't get much
more when married Ny father gave me
he didn't give me a raise bigger job. I
had to those.
Even now there at least two men in the
service of the Hill properties who draw more
salary than | do. We had to give it to them to
hold them not that they were dsloyal, but be-
cause value is value anywhere and if don't
pay Tor It our competitors will.
And these men are right on their jobs. Most
OF the directors OF the Great Northern in the
Great Northern Building in ST. Paul, which is
headquarters which is where they belong
81 recently declined the dictatorship of a
financial institution in Chicago because l can't
afford TO live in Chicago to get there often
enough.
collect directcr rs11ps like some other men collect
rare trinkets, just to show them off to company
and see how many and fow pedlgreed ones they
can get into their lists in Who's Who never
subscribed to Who's Who but | would like to
read an authentic book called Whats What
so I'm afraid | shall never be a figure along
Broadway or even La Sale street, but shall con-
tinue to operate railroads out of St. Paul the
best know how and have the boys just call me
Louis and look after trfing affairs like rolling
stock, roadbeds, promotion Of agricultural and
mining conditions along right of way, ana
try not to work too hard-say not more than y
or II hours day.
The general manager OF the Great Northern
Railroad works from in the morning until 10
at night. We gave him assistant the other
day, and maybe he can get home by 9. And he
doesn't worry about financing, at all-ust plain
railroading. g.'-Chicago dispatch to New York
Times.