The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-10-06
EDMOWTON
81 w. b. poRfEREIELp

YET Out the OLD atlas, folks and
look for Edmonton, most norther.
ly city Of the Western Hemisphere.
Now follow that parallel Of latl
tude across the continent. You
see 1t crosses Labrador, the At.
lantic and skirts the Scottish
boundary and Just sneaks under
Norway and hits Rigo on the Rus
sian frontier straight in the eye.
We know what, makes Great
Britain habitable, but no tropical
gulf stream laves the shores OF
this plateau a half mile above and
u thousand miles distant from the
sea.
Yet, here 1 sit by an open win.
dow in Edmonton while through
that window my senses are intri.
gued by the odor Of a thousand
petunlas, phlox, mignonette dab
las and a hundred other beautiful
and sweet-smelling flowers, whilo
fpom across the picturesque Sas.
katchewan. which divides the city
IN two, get the distant odor OF
new-mown hay, for the harvest Is
Just beginning up here in 64
north.
Edmonton is unlike any other
city ever visited. 1t has a back
ground Of history. And for the
weather
"I'll bet you've seen some cold
weather here" l suggested to my
pioneer acquaintance, and he re-
piled: eyes, I've seen 1t down to
So below. but that isn't bad for It's
very dry and | have never really
suffered from the cold here!"
What Started It
How's that? And in summer?
Well, sometimes up to 90 and "a
above but "the nights are always
COOL" they hasten to add.
Modern Edmonton dates from
the arrival here Of the Canadian
Northern transcontinerSal rail.
way In 1905 and the decision Of
tho provincial government to
make this the political capital OF
the great province of Alberta.
The city, then little more than
a frontier trading post had a
population OF perhaps 5000.
Tho Canadian Northern came in
from Winnipeg that year and
went straight on to Vancouver, via
the old Yellow Head pass through.
the rockies which route had bsenn
agreed upon rs ydars before.
Four years later the Grand
Trunk Pacific arrived, also from
Winnipeg, 900 miles away, and at.
ter paralleling-. the Canadian Nor
tern westward for a distance Of
217 miles In the most idoltic way
branched off northwestward to its
Pacific terminus, Prince Rupert.
OF course, both roads went
broke and IN 1917 when war prog
sure became too great, the dom
Union government tried to undo
some Of the wrong 1t had permit.
ted. 1t ordered the rails Of the
c. N. R. torn up as far as Obcd
and the Grand Trunk rails from
obed to Tete Jeune Cache, and
thus was abandoned officially
railroad grade which never had
the slightest excuse for being
built and which cost the people OF
Canada the tidy sum of 100000
900!
Costs Taxpayers
Today these great railroad sys-
tens have been consolidated un.
der the name Of the Canadian Ma.
tlonal Grand Trunk Railways, the
greatest transportation system in
the world.
This system owns and operates,
by the help OF tho Canadian gov.
eminent Whose taxpayers put up
many million dollars year for
the privilege) 22,267 miles Of
railroad, 10 palatial hotels, &C
ocean going vessels ola total ton.
mage of $4,000 tons, and 102. 0O9
miles of telegraph!
These cities and towns Of the
Canadian northwest are nothing II
not progressive.
They grab new ideas in govern.
ment like the proverbial duck
headed for the dough pile.
All Of them, SO far as l can find
out, have the initiative, referen-
dunn and recall, unlimited. ANY
legislature mny Ibe initiated by
the signature of % per cent OF
the rate payers at the last cleo.
.tion: any public official may have
to fight for his job or any meas
ure may be subject to the same
test by the signatures Of ten per
cent.
As for municipal ownership, Il
has gone farther up here th9u
anywhere else have visited
Many cities own tehir owa street
car systems. All own their water
systems. and most Of them their
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