Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-01-18

For myself. feel iha, ! owe General Sher-
man debt Of gratitude. He produced con-
ditions and environment which made it
necessary for The individual TO develop every
resource and every power with which nature
hac endowed him in order TO exist. believe
that character is produced and developed TO
the highes; degree By hardships. suffering and
poverty. / have never doubted that what
ever Of character and capacity ! have de-
veloped has been. in large measure. due
10 the surroundings and conditions which
1enc:ai sherman forced upon the people oil
/ my section during that great war
In the poverty Of the reconstruction
period there was one thing for which
the wrll-horn mothers and fathers OF
the south were willing 10 make any
lSacrticc. IL was the education OF their
Ichildrcn. That he might bring up his
tialnily where there were good schools.
Mr. Mc.AdOo'S father accepted the chair
OF English and History in the tnivcrsi-
Ity Of Tennessee. at Knoxville. and
moved his family there. In due time
William g.. Jr., entered the university
but left in mis- junior year To become
deputy clerk in the United States cir
cult court for that district. so that he
could support himself while studying
law. He was admitted to the bar in
1881. and. despite his youth. soon be-
came state counsel Tor an important
railway company. now part Of the
Southern halfway system. In that
he gained his first knowl-
\ edge OF the railway business. Ii faS-
cinatrd him. and II was not long be-
fore he became president of the Knox
willie street Railway Company. which
was one OF the very first roads in the
country to be electrified.
il was Il lrilling experience. for the
operation OF electric railways was but
poorly understood. and a financial re-
organization Of the property ultimate
ly became necessary.
To complete il. young McAdoo came
to New York, in 1892 being then
twenty nine years old. Attracted by
the opportunities OF the metropolis, he
stayed there and opened an office for
the practice OF law. interesting himself
especially in southern enterprises that
needed capital in order TO keep pace
with the development OF the New
South" just coming into being.
In lS9N he formed partnership with
another William McAdoo, who had been
4 member Ol congress. assistant Sccrc-
tary of the navy. and police commits
sioncr OF the city OF New York. AL
though the partners bore the same
name. they were not related. and the
firm was called "Mc.hdoo * Mc.Adoo.
plan of building the Hudson tunnels
began TO take shape in his mind. II
had been frequently suggested. and at
least two previous efforts to realize II
had been made. In 1873 Il man named
De Witt Clinton IaskinS had actually
commenced 10 dig tunnel from llo-
bokcn toward New York. In the face
Of many difficulties ne had bored
eighteen hundred feet under the river.
when his money gave out. Another
company took up the work in 1881 and
extended the tunnel nine hundred feet
farther. Then il failed.
Meantime the idea OF building steel
tubes instead OF tunnels under water
had been developed by Charles NJ.
Jacobs. and Mr.. McAdoo was led to in
vestigutr il. He came TO the con-
clusion that Il could he successfully ap-
piled to, or rather under, the Hudson
river, and he went at 1t. This was
1901. He had been in New York then
only nine years. He could not nav"
had many friends among the financial
ly powerful, but his enthusiasm and
force were such that he was able to
raise over $7O.000.0 900 for a scheme that
had twice failed. and by 1905 four
tubes were in successful operation
urder the Hudson river. In the in
telval the Pennsylvania Railroad had
Aswed his lead and built the station
4 0G Sanfattsn island. T MS ca1fed r0i
two more tubes. Then the Long Is
land Railroad built two more. Now
the tubway has six or eight tubes un-
der the rivers that surround New
York. and Il pair will shortly be built
from Fort Hamilton TO Staten Island.
bringing that rather remote part OF
the greater city within Il few minutes
of Fifth Avenue. While this multiple
cation OF facilities has diminished the
profit that might have been realized
from tho tubes that McAdoo construct
ed, it really emphasizes the pubic
value Of his work as pioneer In pro-
grcss. Even if he had never lived.
these tubes Ould no doubt have been
built IN time, but it was his vision and
|entcrprisc that accelerated their con-
struction and rcvolutioniZed the trans
portation facilities of the metropolis
years earlier than would have been
the case otherwise.
II Is I'm this fact that the peculiar
quality of the mans genius is apparent.
He gets things done. and by his eX-
ample induces. others TO hurry in ac-
ton. He was studying law before ne
had finished college. He was one OF
the iirst men In the country 10 Apply
electricity to the problem OF urban
He came to New Iorh
and had his tunnels under the Huason
built while other men were talking
about them: and almost within week
after he went to Washington he com
mcnccd to clcctrify and cncrSiZc the
treasury department.
Those who have had to do with that
Department under his administration
and previously will realize the change.
BUSINESS is promptly despatched let,
ters are answered without delay, anu
the entire force. from the colorcd mes
scn-ers to the secretary himself. seem
10 he animated by the spirit that ne
EXPRESSED when, as president OF lhe
Hudson Tunnels Company. he address
ed the employees of that company as
follows:
Safety and efficiency Of the service are.
the first consideration. but among the Things
of the highest importance are civility ana
courtesy in your dealings with the public IL
requires a great deal of patience to be eour-
teous to people who may be rude ana OF.
fensive to yoIi. and II Is human nhluit o.
TO be. but. at the same time. you must learn
10 take such things in good temper: II Is
par; of your job. You must treat people
courteously. no matter how they treat you.
You must no, engage IN unnecessary con, n,
versation with passengers. and you must not
address passen gers before they enter into con-
versa,ion with you. You are not there Tor
the purpose of entertaining the public; you
are there for the purpose Of seeing That the
road is safely and properly operated Atteno
strictly To your duties. answering questions
when they are addressed 10 you. No matter
il questions seem TO you foolish. give civil
replies.
The amount Of courtesy you display is go
ing &c have an important bearing upon inc
popularity of this road. The day OF the
public be damned" policy is forever gone. :, II
always was an Objectionable and indefensl6ie
policy. and i, will not be tolerated on TINS
road under any conditions.
But it Is in the economic reforms and
construction that Mr.. McAdoo has ac-
compished since he became secretary
of the treasury that we find his chicf
claim to public consideration.
The list Is long one. II includes:
The revision of the tariff:
The creation Of the Federal Reserve
banking system:
The organization Of the Federal Re-
serve banks:
The establishment of the Farm Loan
banks:
The creation OF the Shipping Board
and the building Of government
owned mero hant marine:
A trip to South America in the in
piano which Ia