The Washington herald., 1916-07-02
HISTORY BUILDERS.
The First Captains of Industry.
By DIR. q. J. EDWARDS.


The descriptive term captain of industry
has been adopted thoroughly that it enters
into the vernacular and is now frequently used
in England. 1t has also been translated into
the equivalent French expression and is under
stood to have been adopted by the French so
that it may designate the great forces in industry
in France.
The term-although once used by Carlyle
was first heard at the time of the visit Of
Prince Henry of Germany, brother of the kaiser,
to the United States in 1912. II was used to
describe accurately the hundred men whom
Prince Henry faced at the breakfast of which
he was the guest of honor which was held in
one of the large hotels in New York. 1t was
| commonly believed to have beer il spontaneously
| uttered descriptive term.
Recently learned by whom and why this
| expression originated Edward D. Adams,
himself of the great business forces of the
United States. whose activities greatly d-
versihed, he having been the successful re-
| organizer of the bankrupted Northern Pacific
railroad and having been identified as the chief
creative force in the construction of the great
Niagara Falls power plant, conceived the idea
of bringing to banquet table body OF men
who whole would in their personal achieve
ments reflect the progress of American industry.
Mr.. Adams was widely known in Europe and
the representative in the United States of one
of the largest of German financial institutions.
In this relation, he had already met Prince
Henry and knew the turn of the princes mind
which caused him always to be intensely inter
ested in industrial activities and developments.
| speaking some time ago to Mr.. Adams
of this banquet and of the pre-eminent part he
had In arranging for it when it occurred to me
to ask him if he knew how that very expressive
term Captains of industry" originated in associ-
alton with the breakfast to Prince Henry.
at is not very important matter" Mr..
Adams said in reply but if you really wish to
| know l tell you what little there is to
know about it. Prince Henry was familiar with
military and navy captains and he also an
enthusiastic admrer Of everything that appertain-
ed to industrial development It occurred to
me that there other captains than those
| in the army and navy and that they represented
American industries. So I suggested that the
| group of one hundred men invited to the ban
quet to meet Prince Henry should be desig-
mated captains OF industry. The idea was
received favorably and they were 50 designated.
| Furthermore, the expression fitted these men SO
appropriately that it was taken up and has now
become standard expression descriptive Of
those who have achieved greatly in industry"
Although the United States treasury depart
ment will not be enriched by any specific be-
quests which the late Norman B. Ream caused
! to be incorporated in his will, nevertheless a
large of money will be turned over to the
government by those who administrators or
Executors OF the estate.
When lad in his teens, MI Ream enlisted
in a regiment which was mustered into the
service of the government at the time Of the
jciVIl ueSt pe0rsvI,-aDia
to the front lieutenant and after he recov-
cred from his first wound was promoted to
Icaptancy. A little later, he was so severely
wounded as to be incapacitated for further serv-
ice Mr.. Ream always took great interest in his
! old regiment and it chiefly through his
munihcence that it possible to prepare and
print history of the regiment, which is in fact
one Of the most complete works Of that kind
published
Before Mr.. Ream had fairly started upon the
career which afterward distinguished him as
one of the great leaders OF American industrial
and commercial life, he applied for a pension
and the application was granted. 1t dated back
| to the time of his wound The first payment
made to him was for hack pension. When he
received it he placed the money in his mothers
hands, saying that she needed it more than he
/ did, although he had little or nothing then
| After Mr.. Ream went to Illinois and then to
Iowa, some years after the close of the civil war,
he received regularly his pension checks. He
did not cash them, however. He returned them
either to the treasury department or to the pen
sion office. The only check he ever cashcd was
that which represented arrears OF pension.
Those who administering Mr. Ream's
estate discovered that an amount OF money
which had been accumulatiug for nearly fifty
years on account of his pensions had not been
paid to him.
They convinced that Mr. Ream intended
that this money should go back to the gov
ernment, but could not find that he had actually
turned it over. The government, therefore, will
soon receive legal notification that an amount
of money approximately several thousand dollars
which probably stands to the credit of Norman
| B. Ream should be turned back into the treasury
department Those who are of excellent author
ity say that this is something that is unpre-
cedented since the organization Of the pension
bureau.