C.P. Hotel Winnipeg 25 May 1880 2pg Marcus Smith Letter to Brophy
Lot 41 in our auction Saturday 14th August 2021
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Canadian Pacific Railway
John Haverty Proprietor.
Winnipeg, Ma. May 25t 1880.
My dear Brophy
I am in receipt of yours of the 19th. Inst.- Kavanaugh is here but has not got any letters about purchases for the staff as was promised him- Nor have I got the official instructions with regard to the Department (through Braun) I fancy there is a “nigger in the fence” for I have it on the best authority that C. Schreiber is appointed Engineer in Chief of the Canada Pacific Railway- which does not concern me yet but is a poor move on the part of the Govt. and will not satisfy the party
The minister never mentioned his name to me and I understood that I was to be perfectly independent and to Report to the Department- If I am instructed by Schreiber I shall return at once to Ottawa unless there are grounds for believing that this appointment of Schreiber is only temporary- as the party will probably insist on a Board of Engineers- Try and find out about that- Kavanaugh says there was an act passed last session for the appointment of a Board of Commisioners- but I never heard of it- I have news from another source sharing that the “Power behind the throne” is as potent as ever and directed specially against me- the reason given is that I had politicians coming to my office to be prompted- the joke is that on the whole I shall thenceforth look out for self alone- and trust you will keep a bright look out both as regards the movements of the Cabinet respecting this Department and also the Newfoundland affair- I may telegraph you “all right” or “not satisfactory” and you reply “ hold on” or “act according to discretion”
Yours truly M. Smith
