Show I 1 jr J lesson isi in a shuttle road bohn W garrett cited charleston ex ample As instance of the south 8 former haphazard manner of developing railways in the latter part of march 0 of the year 1883 1 I spent a week or ten days tin charleston south carolina on the second day after my arrival there was seated at my hotel dining room table a stranger anew a new arrival of about mid die dle height and of powerful build with an unusual depth of chest the per feet balance and poise ot of his massive head upon his shoulders was especial ly noticeable the outline of the head was round rather than long his face iwas was broad his mouth revealed great firmness although there was in bis his smile a suggestion of gentleness and kindliness hia his eyes which were dark blue were set tar far apart and the breadth of his forehead indicated great intellectual power his hair Z awaa s not plentiful although he was not bald and in his early manhood he must have been of sandy complexion he seemed to be a man of sixty five years of age have you come from the norta he asked and when I 1 replied that I 1 had he asked me it I 1 came by the coast line I 1 saw that he was familiar with railroad matters and disposed to talk of them so I 1 ventured to ask him how it happened that a city the size of charleston and a seaport at that had no central station the main station was then some same two miles out elde side the city and passengers were conveyed bach back and forth by means of a shuttle train well that shuttle train furnishes one explanation of 0 why the beracy did not succeed was the reply then noting apparently that I 1 was wondering how a shuttle railroad two miles long could have had any thing to do with the failure of the confederacy he continued and his manner was that of a modest kindly gentleman do you know of any important city of the north especially any seaport that would have been content even in early railroad days with railroad corn com mun leation that required the use of a shuttle train this little shuttle line personifies the haphazard manner in which industry and railway develop ment in the south in the days before the war were universally carried on a circumstance that Is easily explained by the fact that the south was then almost exclusively an agricultural region so it came about when the war brol out that the confederacy found itself with nothing more than makeshift means of communication at its command there was not one rail road in the entire south that was worthy of the name when compared with the railroads of the north and judged by the standards of today the northern roads of war times were poor as a whole yet if there had been a railroad of northern standard running between richmond and lynchburg tor for example lee could henry C robinsons robinson s proud memory of the time when charf charles e s D ck ens spoke to him in hart ford conn the late henry C robinson of hart ford conn one ot of the leaders of the new england bar republican candi date for or governor of connecticut in 1876 and prominently identified for years with the new york new haven and hartford railroad as counsel and director was accustomed to say in the latter part of his life that the two in of his career of which he was especially proud were these he had been a member of the famous class of 1853 at vale yale of which andrew D white afterwards president of cor nell university and minister to ger gr many was valedictorian and he was one of the very few boys in the united states to whom charles dickens spoke on his first visit to america I 1 am sure that at no other time during that visit did dickens speak to any american boy as he spoke to me mr robinson told me what he said was cot not much but it wag was charles dick ens who said it and he said it to me and that was enough I 1 was between eleven and twelve years of age when dickens came to hartford in 1842 he ile had been spend ing a day or two in springfield mass and he insisted upon making the trip from springfield to hartford by the little steamboat which at that time piled plied between the two cities upon the connecticut river he ile told his friends that he wanted to see the connecticut for it was one of the american rivers of which he had heard much we knew in hartford the hour at which dickens would arrive and there was a great throng at the steamboat landing waiting to see him I 1 was not able to be there for I 1 was at school when he arrived but I 1 heard that he was staying at the city hotel which at that time was the leading hostelry in the city and was located only three or have transported his whole army by it from richmond after evacuation to lynchburg and it would have taken a long time to dislodge him once he was in lynchburg he ile could have made a union there with joe john ston s army then in north carolina he could have given grant a great deal of trouble but he had no good rail way service at his disposal and he fell at appomattox so it was else where in the south the southern corn com in manders anders were greatly handicapped by lack of proper railroad facilities they had to contend with such things as this shuttle railroad in charleston and so I 1 eay say this shuttle service fur bishes one explanation of the fall of the confederacy it was clear to me that my table mate waa was a railway man of expert ence and my curiosity being aroused I 1 made inquiries at the hotel office concerning him oh said the clerk that la Is john W garrett president of the baltimore and ohio railroad when next I 1 wa seated with my table companion I 1 said mr garrett until this afternoon I 1 did not dream that T had been talking with the creator and builder up of the great baltimore and ohio railroad tern tem if I 1 had known it I 1 might have been a little embarrassed well replied mr air garrett smiling kindly it has always been my belief that when strangers who are upon their travels meet it Is a great deal better that they sho ild not know any thing about one another provided they are satisfied that they have some points of common interest for in small boy poy P oy and noted 0 author four minutes w walk alk from the old state house so as soon as I 1 was out ol 01 school I 1 went to the hotel determined to stand on the sidewalk in front of it until I 1 had caught a glimpse of char charles I 1 es dickens I 1 think I 1 must have stood there about an hour it may have been a lit tie tle longer when looking up at one oi of the windows opening upon the room at the side of the main entrance of the hotel I 1 saw charles dickens standing there I 1 knew him instantly from the photographs I 1 had seen of him I 1 was attracted by his peculiar waistcoat aalst maist coat ot of very vivid color from the pockets ot of which dangled a prodigious watch chain lie ile alternately tossed the chain in his hands and twisted it around h his Is fingers I 1 also noticed his eyes be cause they were very blue after a while he put his hands into his pod ets and stood looking across the street not noticing me at first he looked at me steadily for I 1 do not know how many minutes I 1 stared at him steadily in return I 1 remember that I 1 thought this Is the man who nho told me about sam weller who was one of the great favorites of my boy hood days I 1 wonder iwonder what dickens thought of me he certainly looked me through and through we must have been in tact fact a spectacle the lad and the tarn fain ous author staring at each other at last dickens spoke and the words have been treasured in my memory ever since this Is what he said and I 1 heard him distinctly al at though he spoke through the window go away little boy go away then he waved his hand gently smiled upon me and with that benediction or I 1 de parted I 1 did not see him again until when he made his second visit to america he had cha changed aged gr greatly batly in physical appearance excepting that his eyes retained that brilliant blue lint the bluest eyes I 1 ever saw copyright 1910 by E J adwards all kights nights reserved that way they can meet upon common ground perhaps it should be added that the railroad which mr garrett headed for or a quarter of a century from 1858 until his death in 1884 waa was of the greatest service to the united states govern ment during the civil war in the transportation of troops and materials and during the entire period of mr garrett garretts s presidency he was without a superior in the world of railway transportation copyright 1910 by E J edwards all rights reserved hills high idea of ethics why he would not present case against the income tax clause of the wilson bill to su preme court now that david bennett hill three times governor ol 01 and one term united S ates senator from neu york has passed away it Is possible to narrate several incidents connected with his career that nave both his ills tone importance and dramatic inter et est they have remained iclef hitherto because of governor hill s policy of complete silence in all things political relating to himself a policy that one of the staunchest friends he ever had judge alton B parker declared recently caused much unnecessary criticism to be heaped upon its author in 1894 the chouse of representatives passed the tariff bill now historically known as the wilson bill it con tamed a clause providing tor for the levy lug trig of an income tax without doing that in accordance with the census that Is to say in proportion to the population of each state senator hill not only regarded this clause of 0 the income tax as unconstitutional because the constitution provides that an income tax must be levied accord ing to the census but in addition he felt that were a tax of that kind lev ley led and collected the tendency would be seriously to threaten the equality of the states in their representation in their federal senate senator hill therefore prepared a speech which has now gone upon record as one ot of the ablest of all the speeches delta ered in the senate since the time of 0 the civil war in this matter he stood almost alone among his democratic as associates and the senate passed the wilson bill much amended but with the original income tax clause un changed this was the tariff bill which president cleveland refused to sign characterizing it as a bill ol 01 perfidy and dishonor after the bill had become law it was determined to make a speedy test of the constitutionality of the income tax clause and when those who had united to forward th a important ju docial proceeding consulted as to who amand the lau lawyers 3 ers of the united states could make the ablest ment before the supreme court all were of the opinion that senator hill was the man the senator was there fore approached and asked ally in the ae b words whether he would accept a retainer to argue the case senator we have unanimously agreed that you better than any other lawyer of whom we have knowledge would make a convincing argument before the supreme court we have therefore decided to ask you to ac capt a retainer simply to make that argument ard we are prepared to of f fer er you a retainer of 5 for some moments the senator was silent he seemed to be considering the proposition from all sides at last he said I 1 should greatly like to make mke the argument before the supreme court I 1 would be willing rilling to make it with out a retainer I 1 regard the subject as of vital consequence but it does not seem to me as though it would square with my view of the ethics of senatorial service it I 1 were to accept yo v ir retainer I 1 made my appeal as a senator to my colleagues in the senate I 1 spoke with earnestness and in all sincerity A majority of the senate howe however ver disagreed with me now it if I 1 having been defeated in the enate were to make an argument before the supreme court upon this issue it would seem as though having been de degeas fead d in the senate I 1 at once resorted to the supreme court no I 1 do not think that I 1 would be justified in accepting this retainer although I 1 say again that I 1 should greatly like to make the argument after this refusal the party sought other counsel who argued the case before the supreme court and won uon it and when the opinion was read it was discovered that it practically adopted the line of argument made by hill in the federal senate copyright 1910 by y E J edwards all rights reserved |