Derek, Stephen was the front man in the various financial
dealings involving the syndicate before and after the CPR
and a real manipulator, even with his friends and partners.
Keep in mind though that all his financial dealings were
made in concert with his cousin, who not only became the
wealthiest man in Canada, he was respected in all quarters,
aside from John A., who hated his integrity. It was fitting
that he drove the last spike for the CPR and also took time
from his busy schedule, in '93, to travel to St. Paul to
celebrate the completion of the Great Northern with his
friend. His respectfull presence truly impressed Hill's
guests. Not bad for someone that was exiled to the wilds
of Labrador at remote HBC outposts for his first eighteen
years in this country.
Rainer Auer
Saskatoon, SK
--- In cpsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Derek Boles <derekboles@...> wrote:
I don't claim to understand much about high finance or the corporate
legalities of the 1880s but I have read several books on the CPR as well as
Stephen's own 2-volume biography. My impression is that he put a hell of a
lot more of his own personal resources on the line to finish the CPR than do
the white collar crooks we read about today. I think Berton's books describe
Stephen using the furniture in his house as collateral for a CPR loan.
