The Story of a Dark Plot; Or, Tyranny on the FrontierA.L.O.C.
History
The Story of a Dark Plot; Or, Tyranny on the Frontier
A.L.O.C.
Smith, William W.; Temperance
This was followed on October 6th by an official announcement from Mr.
Brady telling Mr. Smith that his services were no longer required by
the Company. And in all this correspondence there is not a hint of
unfaithfulness on the part of Mr. Smith to any order of his employers
save the one to "quit temperance work." When the above correspondence
appeared in the Montreal _Daily Witness_ it was accompanied by the
following remarks in the editorial department:
"We are requested by the Brome County Alliance to publish the
correspondence which preceded the dismissal of the President, Mr.
W. W. Smith, from his position as station agent of the Canadian
Pacific Railway at Sutton Junction. We have already pointed out
the extraordinary assumption of wage slavery, which is implied in
this dismissal as accounted for by the official who did it. The
claim made by Mr. Smith's employing officer, and practically
indorsed by the Company in concurring in this dismissal, is that
the Company owns its employees, soul and body, and that they can
only fulfill their rights of citizenship at its pleasure. It is
not to be supposed that this power asserted over the lives of its
employees is going to be insisted on by the Company as against
every thing they do, and that every man who takes part in a
baseball match or a mock parliament will be dismissed. It is not
to be supposed that the man who busies himself even in politics
will be dismissed if he takes care that he does not do so on a
side distasteful to the Company. The particular thing which is a
capital offence with the Company, according to this
correspondence, is to busy one's self with the enforcement of the
laws of the land or advocate temperance in public. If temperance
advocacy is going to be boycotted by the Canadian Pacific Railway
in the interests of the illegal and murderous liquor business,
there are ten thousand good customers of the road who will want
to know the reason why. This should indeed be asked for in
parliament."
CHAPTER VI.
MORE BITS OF PUBLIC OPINION.
The action of the Canadian Pacific Railway, in thus dismissing their
agent at Sutton Junction, apparently for no other cause than the
vigorous opposition which he offered to the work of the liquor party
in his own vicinity, like the assault case previously, elicited much
criticism from the public.
We purpose in this chapter reproducing some of the many opinions
regarding the dismissal which appeared in the columns of the public
press.
It has been said that "the greatest power under heaven is public
opinion," and it may be profitable for us sometimes to study such an
important power, and especially to consider the opinions of people who
uphold peace, temperance and religion. The following is the view of
_The Templar_ of Hamilton, as quoted in the Montreal _Daily Witness_:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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