The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-10-06

ders % Rilloughby: There's a LOT TO
DO. and you have ny authority 20 hire
all the help you need See the bank
ers yourself. personally. and get them
70 interest other local buyers along the
line, the more OF them, and the smaller
they are. the better. I'll take care Of
Portal City. myself I've had Van
Britt on the wire and he is taking care
OF the employees-yes, that goes as II
lies. and is part Of the original plan /;
every man who works for p. s. L. Is
/ going 70 own a BIT Of stock. II we have
to carry him for " and let him pay a
dollar a week. More than that, they
shall have representation on the board
II they want H. And while you're
knocking about. take time 10 show
these c. g. q W. folks how they can
climb back into the saddle. Red Tower
is down and out nov. and they can
keep IL out II chey want to-"
I suppose I might rattle this old
type-machine Of mine indefinitely and
tell the story OF the financial fight that
filled the next few days: OF how the
boss and Mr.. Ripley and Billoughby
got the bankers and practically every.
body together all aloog the Short Line
and sprung the big plan upon them.
which was nothing less than the snap
ping up. on a tumbling stock market,
Of the opportunity now presented 70
them Of owning-actually owning In
fee simple-their own railroad, the
buying to be done quietly through Mr..
Chadwick's brokers In Chicago and
New York.
There was some opposition and
jangling and see-sawlng back and
forth. OF courre, but the newspapers,
led by the Mountaineer, took hold, and
then. pretty soon, everybody took
hold after which the only trouble was
to keep people-our own rank and file
among them-from buying p. S. L.
Common so fast that the New York
ers would catch on and run the price
up.
They didn't catch on-not until after
IL was too late: and the minute Mr..
Chadwick wired us from Chicago that
we were safe. the strike went on, as
you might say. between two minutes,
and Mr.. Norcross called a meeting Of
stockholders, the same to be held
bless your heart lin Portal City, the
thriving metropolis OF the region IN
which. counting Mr.. Chadwick in as
one OF us, a good. solid voting major
ity OF the stock WAS now held. The
Mountaineer printed the call, and II
spoke Of the railroad as "our railroad
company
The meeting was held In due time,
and Mr.. Chadwick was there to pre-
side. He made a cracking good chair
man, and the way he dilated on the
fact that now the country-and the
employees-hnd q railroad Of their
own. and that the whole nation would
be looking to see how we would de-
monstrate the problem we had taken
over. actually brought cheers-thlnk
Of II; cheers In q railroad stocxhold-
ers' meetingi
Following Mr.. Chadwick's talk there
was the usual routine business; re-
ports were read and II was shown that
the Short Line, notwithstanding all the |
stealings and mismanagements. was
still good going proposition at the
price at which II had been bought In. |
A new board OF directors was chosen. |
and as soon as rhe new board got to-
gether, Mr.. Norcross went back to his
Office In the headquarters. not as gen
eral manager. This time-not on your
life but as the newly elected presi-
dent Of Pioneer Short Line. And by |
the same token. the first of1cial cir
cular that came out-s copy Of which |
I sent. tied up with a blue ribbon, to
Maisie Ann--rend like this:
ITO all Employees:
Effective this day. Mr. James r.
Dodds Ia appointed assistant to the
president with headquarters In Portal
City.
&c. Sorcross. President"
That's all all bot little talk be-
tween the boss and Mr.. Upton Van
Britt that took place in our ONCE on
the day after Mr. Van Britt. still kick
ing about the hard work that the boss
was always piiing upon him. had been
appointed general manager.
you've made the rifle. Graham
Just as said you would" said orr
own and only millionaire. after ne hai
got through abusing the fetes that
let him 20 back east and play
with his coupon shears and his yachts
and polo ponies. You're going 70
be the biggest man this side OF the
some day and the day isn't
50 very FAR OF. either"
II was Just here that the boss got
out Of his chair and walked 70 the
other end - the room. When he came
back II was % say:
you think ] have won out. Up-
.nn. aud so does everybody else. J
suppose n looks that way 70 the man
10 the street. But haven't you know. /.
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