The trail of the swinging lanterns : $b a racy, railroading review of transportation matters, methods and men — John Shaqi
The trail of the swinging lanterns : $b a racy, railroading review of transportation matters, methods and menCopeland, John Morison
History
The trail of the swinging lanterns : $b a racy, railroading review of transportation matters, methods and men
Copeland, John Morison
Railroads -- Canada
It is a marvelous modern reality, smacking of the magic of Bagdad
caliph eras, that the Windsor Street cabinet of individually expert
cosmopolitans, with their teeming clusters of resourceful understudies,
command a metaphorical view of the surface of all hemispheres, like a
submersible’s captain seated beside the disk of camera obscura scanning
the ocean’s bosom. It is, however, only with the searchlights of peace,
of barter and trade and commercial expansion, which spell security
and comfort for mankind, that the “C.P.R.” sweeps the horizons, feels
the universe’s pulse and keeps in touch through the medium of the
electric spark, with the aspirations of the world’s brown, yellow and
Caucasian children. She underestimates no detail and quietly assumes
any legitimate task of magnitude, transferring one unaccompanied child
or 100,000 Orientals by sea and land from non-essential avocations in
this place or that to other environment and back again without mishap,
fuss or feathers.
Composed of forty-five acquired, leased or controlled railways, this
immense, corporate body, holding the keys of access to almost any
domain and caucus of the sons of Babel, this syndicate that has the
_entree_ to exclusive circles and “inside information,” that is rich in
agricultural lands and demonstration farms, in timber and tie reserves,
rich in gas rights and petroleum areas, that controls coal collieries,
smelters and hotels and banks much specie of the realm, has a soul.
In her scattered, flourishing family many are called but few are chosen
to attain the exalted places, which are easily memorized. If her sway
is uncongenial or her pay seems not enough, you may withdraw and the
ranks close up, but for those who remain--and they are 80,000--she
offers standards of remuneration far from the foot of the column. Her
pensions department, with a fund of $900,000 and a yearly contribution
of $500,000 to the reserve, even now protecting 850 former employees,
is generous, and I could cite you instances where employees resuming
duty partly convalescent, have been relieved indefinitely for recovery,
under salary. Several others, permanently incapacitated, have reason to
be grateful to the Canadian Pacific Railway for gratuitous aid and acts
of thoughtfulness seldom attributed to big interests.
Official Ottawa, Washington and the Court of St. James do not think it
judicious to lay bare for public perusal at present, what the Canadian
Pacific Railway Company may or may not have accomplished in the realm
of finance and loans, apropos the great international struggle of
humanity and democracy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account